Second Time Around
by TwiStarJunkie
Summary: She's a single, widowed mother whose trying to find her way as manager of the Lazy E. He's a hardworking ranch hand whose marriage is failing. When a chain of events put two former lovers together, will the ten years plus they spent apart prove to be enough to make it work a second time around? Or will old problems surface once again? Jason Momoa as Declan Kopus w/ OC pairing
1. Chapter 1

**I'm outta practice LOL! Hopefully this time it worked!**

 **WOW! It's been a long time since I've been here!**

 **Big changes have happened on my life that pulled me away from my writing but I'm now back with renewed motivation and as you can probably tell, new muses.**

 **The stories that were left abandoned and incomplete will be finished, and to those hat follow me and those stories I sincerely apologize for your extended wait.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

She had needed this more than she'd realized. The wind gently blew through her hair as she looked out over the acreage of her father's ranch, the Lazy E of Rock Creek. Charleigh Blackford had always loved it out there but hadn't had an opportunity to go out on a ride in quite some time. Hell, she'd probably not have made it out today either had it not been for her sister-in-law, Renee strong arming her. A large percentage of the land was untouched, so the wildflowers and trees were scattered beautifully. She sat atop her horse, Winchester, on the highest point of the ranch back in the mountainous region. Things at home, and the ranch, had been a bit hectic. Her father spent most of his time acting as attorney for various ranchers and business men in their small town, leaving Charleigh and her brother, Clayton, to run the ranch in his absence. The only catch was, she was also his secretary. Managing the two full-time jobs and two children wasn't exactly easy. She kept a mental checklist of the things she had to do each day, and at the moment, the list was so long it had driven her to a breakdown in her office. There were clients needing contracts drawn up and demanding the closing of their cases by the month's end, some demanding explanations on bills they believed were inaccurate, and then on the other side of things, there were ranchers asking for more crops and more cattle than they could supply who weren't to happy with rejection. The kids' school also had fundraisers, parent events, and music programs all planned out in the next few weeks. It was too much for her to manage and, feeling like she couldn't breathe, she finally just lost it. Charleigh was most normally on top of everything, usually having her task list done and completed in advance, but lately she just couldn't get a grip. She was worn out, mentally and physically exhausted, and just wanted to spend more time than she possessed with her children. She was mother to twins; her daughter, Riley, and son, Noah, were eight years old, and the two biggest joys in life. If she didn't have them in her life, she wouldn't know what she'd do. Their father, her husband, Jaxson Blackford, had horrifically died in a house fire six years prior. Their dog, Zip, had woken him one night and he'd managed to get her and the kids—only two years old—out in time before rushing back in to try and save Zip. The second story had collapsed on him before he made it out. It wasn't a memory Charleigh liked to talk about, and if she was being honest, it was still the cause of many nightmares. She'd struggled for a long time with the tragedy of that night, but with the help of her friends and family, and God's gift of her children, she'd managed to make it through. Wiping the tears which had leaked from her eyes, she gave Winchester a gentle nudge as he snorted and began to make his way back down, a little hurry in his gait as it was feeding time.

As Winchester came up on the barn, Charleigh brought him to a stop nearly fifty feet from where her children were assisting Declan Kopus—to the best of their ability—in bringing in sacks of feed as he hauled in bales of hay from the back of his old, beat up truck. She watched as the sweat glistened upon the tanned skin of his impressive musculature under the heat of the sun. At six foot five and all man, Declan was a sight to behold as he worked, his muscles flexing tightly and the sun-kissed golden highlights of his long, unruly dark hair mesmerizing her. Just as quickly as she began to think about it, she chastised herself for not only looking at a taken man in such a way, but for also doing so in front of her children. To some it may sound that she was creeping, but Charleigh had a history with Declan long ago, and they'd been close friends for over a decade. Most of the time she found herself marveling at him working, it was simply due to how much he'd changed over the years...and it was all in the best of ways. The kids absolutely loved him as anytime they saw him outside, they raced over. So, in the case she couldn't find her children, they were most often found wherever he was, trying to help in whatever he happened to be doing. Much as they were now. And he didn't seem to mind it one bit. If she was being honest, it seemed he had just as much fun as they did, and she was beyond grateful to him for that, especially because of their late father being absent from their lives.

As Declan grabbed yet another bale of hay, he glanced over to see Charleigh still sitting atop Winchester off in the distance. Stopping in his tracks, he dropped the bale of hay and started on his way over to greet her—Noah and Riley continued in their task of bringing in the sacks of feed.

"You gonna sit out here and roast all day or are you going to unsaddle this guy and take me on in a game of axe throwing?" he asked as he finally came up on her, dusting his hands off on his jeans.

Charleigh laughed and reached out her hand, silently asking him to help her down, to which he obliged, grabbing her by the waist and hoisting her off her horse.

"The use of your shoulder would have sufficed just fine, Dec, but thanks anyway," she told him, lightly shoving his shoulder. "As much as I'd love to indulge you and let you show off your exceptional axe skills, I've got things to do back at the house and from the looks of it, I'm going to have to run my heathens through a car wash before bed."

"Oh come on, Char, please?" he begged, flashing her a brilliant smile, which quickly transitioned into a pout.

"Funny. You know that doesn't work on me. They haven't driven you too crazy, have they?" she questioned, biting her lip.

"Nah, you know better than that, woman. They're fine…great entertainment. Speaking of those two rascals though, when do you think you'll be okay with me starting them in the saddle? Noah's been chomping at the bit and I have no idea what to tell him."

Declan's question caught her off guard as she hadn't realized the kids had been making their wishes known to him. She'd been meaning to ask him but had been so busy with work lately that she hadn't had a chance.

"You can start at any time. Just please be careful and watch them closely, Dec," she replied, taking Winchester's reigns and beginning to lead him over to the hitching post.

"Was it really necessary to tell me that?" he joked.

"Yes," Charleigh deadpanned. "So, how've you been? Haven't really had a chance to catch up in a while."

"I'm good. Flat fucking exhausted, but I'm good. The two jobs have really taken its toll lately." And she could see the truth of his words in his eyes. He worked sun up to sun down each and every day, never taking a day off—not even when sick—and as recently as two months ago, he'd begun fighting in an underground fight club.

"Jesus, Declan, you work too damn hard. You've got to give yourself a break. Take some time off for once and take Lisa on vacation or something."

Charleigh watched as he looked on at her with a knowing look that let her know she'd just stepped in it.

"Yeah, that's rich coming from you. You're telling me to take time off? Let me ask you a question, darlin', when was the last time you took a break? They've been running you ragged around here long enough."

"Touche, but you know as well as I do, I leave here for even one damn day and everything goes to shit. Clayton can handle some of the load, but everyone is so used to dealing with me, they call my personal line when they can't reach me at the office."

"There's a solution to that you know, it's called turning your phone off."

"Right, why didn't I think of that?" She answered with an exaggerated roll of the eyes.

"Well, are you going to be able to make it to the barbecue out at my place tomorrow night?"

"The kids and I will be there, yes."

"What about Cullen?" Declan questioned, quickly noting the sour look that instantly appeared on her face at the mention of her significant other's name. Was it bad to say that pleased him? Because it did. He had despised Cullen Atwood from the moment he learned they'd begun seeing each other six months ago. The guy had a reputation and not a good one.

"Not if I can help it," was all she said as she began loosening up the saddle. It was as she was doing so that Declan noticed the faint bruise upon her cheek which she'd obviously tried to cover up with makeup. He wasn't stupid, he knew where it had come from. With anger in his eyes, he raised his calloused hand gently to her face, his thumb grazing over the mark.

"How long?" He sternly asked as she jerked her head away from his touch.

"Don't worry about it, Dec. I handled it, okay?"

"That asshole put his fucking hands on you, so no, it's not okay. Talk to me, Charleigh."

With a heavy sigh, and fighting back the tears that had begun to sting her eyes, she gently grabbed his wrist, bringing it down and lifted her head to look at him, taken back by the concern and anger that gazed back at her. "I know, and I will okay? Just not here, and not right now. Not with the kids around."

Declan had no choice but to accept the little she was offering and silently nodded in agreement, helping her to finish unsaddling Winchester. He glanced back over in the general direction of the kids and couldn't help but laugh. Curious as to what had amused him, Charleigh followed his line of sight and widely smiled.

Noah was trying his damnedest to carry a bag of feed all on his own, and was actually managing doing so, that was until Riley ran past and knocked it out of his hands.

"Looks like Noah might put you out a job if he keeps going like he is."

"No shit," he scoffed. "The boy is a work horse and over eager for everything. You know he asked me if he could take over feeding and mucking from here on out?"

"Sure you didn't coerce the rascal into offering, Kopus?"

Both Charleigh and Declan turned at the sound of her brother, Clayton's voice.

"No, but you keep talking shit and you just might coerce me into knocking you on your ass, old man. "

Charleigh laughed as they continued to jab at each other. With Winchester being completely unsaddled, she took him by the reins and began to lead him over to the barn. Declan took her arm gently, telling her not to worry about coming back for the tack, he'd get it in a minute then took the reins from her as well with a wink.

"Damn, you put her horse up too?" Clayton questioned in mock disbelief.

"Clay, mind you're own damn business and quit harrassing him. He does more around here in one day than you do in a week," Charleigh bit out before heading back to the barn to gather up the kids for their nightly routine, completely oblivious to the look of shock on her brother's face and amusement on Declan's.

 ***~STA~***

"Momma, is he gonna let us swim?" Riley bounced up and down on her mother's bed as she got ready for the barbecue out at Declan's house. It had been yet another long day at work, this day particularly more frustrating as Ted Milton from down the road had called needing his fields plowed and had become incensed when she'd told him he'd have to wait in line because Declan was off that day and tomorrow. so he'd get to it as soon as he could. There were four other farmers on that list that were already needing Declan to take care of various problems, and while she knew he could have handled it, she'd chosen to give him a few paid days off.

Something Declan hadn't taken very well this morning.

Not that he was angry or ugly about it, he just insisted he was fine and could take care of it, that doing what she'd done was making her job harder and she had enough to worry about. Charleigh had simply argued back that if he wasn't going to take care of himself and take a break, she'd do it for him.

"I'm sure he will, sweetheart," she called out to her daughter as slipped on her jeans. "Riley, honey, why don't you go and get you and your brother's swim stuff together? I'll be out in a minute, " Charleigh told her as soflty as she could as he walked in, the smell of alcohol already tainting him.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Cullen slurred as he leaned against her door.

"You can check that bullshit at the door, Cullen. I told you I'm not putting up with it. We're going to Declan's barbecue."

"Oh this should be fun, watching him and your brother mad dog me all night...exactly what I wanted to do with my fucking weekend."

"Then don't come, dammit! You're already drunk as it is anyway, and they've done nothing to you. I don't want to hear it," she angrily told him, watching as anger flashed in his hazy blue eyes.

"Jesus, what crawled up your ass today? I'm just playing, angel," he said, pulling her against him to which she quickly escaped from and made for the front room with the kiddos.

Charleigh despised Cullen Blackford. The day she'd began her relationship with him six months ago was the stupidest decision she'd ever made. Everything had been great for the first month and a half or so, but he had quickly started showing his true colors little by little. His need to control her—which she'd most recently began fighting back against—his incessant drinking that was increasing more and more every day, and the worst trait that had made itself known over the last year, his temper which often led to physical violence. Something that Declan had seen proof of yesterday. It wasn't that she hadn't tried leaving or putting an end to it because she had, but he always came back and when she would start to fight back, the kids would be around and he'd hold upsetting them over her head. And those nights were most often the times she was hit. Granted, the assaults had never been bad enough where she was left bleeding or seriously injured, and Cullen wasn't a large man by any means. He stood around six feet tall and was of a lean build. However, the hardest hit Charleigh had taken was exactly what she'd failed at covering up. When Cullen had punched her the other night, she'd fought back and knocked him unconscious with a table lamp, which thank God the kids had stayed at Clayton's that night. The bruise it had left behind was a nasty one and she'd spent hours covering it up as best she could. Declan catching sight of it was the worst and best thing that could have happened. Charleigh had even put her foot down and kicked Cullen's ass out that night, but when she'd woken the next morning, he was back in her bed. She needed to change her locks, though in all honesty—after that last hit—while she was a tough woman, she was terrified of Cullen's retaliation against her.

"All right, let's go, kids," she called out from the front door, an iron grip on her keys as Cullen reached for them. "Don't even think about it. I'm driving," she bit out, ushering Noah and Riley out the door.

With each word she spoke, she knew he was getting angrier and angrier meaning it was only a matter of time before he exploded. Charleigh just hoped it could wait until after the barbecue.

As soon as Charleigh's truck pulled into Declan's drive, the kids had jumped out of the car and were tearing down the path into his backyard. She didn't even bother waiting for Cullen and began walking to the back, so when he finally caught up and took firm hold of her arm, he didn't realize someone was watching. Biting her lip from the pain in his grip, she rounded on him and threatened that either he let her go or she'd make a scene which was something she knew he didn't want.

"Charleigh, everything all right?' Declan's baritone voice boomed behind her. He'd obviously seen what was going on from the grill. She turned and gave him a tight smile and whispered an apology as his eyes moved from her panicked face down to Cullen's grip on her arm. "You gonna let her go or am I going to have to pry your fucking hand from her arm?"

When Cullen let her go, Declan gently took her other arm and led her away a few feet, pulling her into him for a hug, his arm tightening around her just slightly harder than usual, working to calm her. "You want me to get rid of him? I'll do it, right now Charleigh, just say the word," he said, leaning down to her ear.

"Declan, this is my problem, I'll handle it, okay?" Charleigh answered, her voice quivering with the weakening of her resolve.

"Like you handled it the other night? Or like you were handling it a second ago?" Declan shot back, knowing it probably hurt her but it was the truth and calling it out like that in front of Cullen let it be known that he now knew what had been going on.

"Dec, I don't want to ruin your barbecue, okay? Just let it go and enjoy yourself. Don't worry about me," she answered him, her emotions giving way as a tear slid down her cheek. Seeing the regret and anger in Declan's eyes, but not wanting to deal with the situation any longer, she quickly pulled away and walked into his backyard, straight to the bar where she could have a drink to ease her nerves.

Declan's attention then turned completely on Cullen. "You saw that, right?" He questioned Cullen, venom in his voice to which Cullen nodded. "The pain in her eyes, the tears? That was all on you. Think you can keep yourself in check for the remainder of the night?"

"Who the hell do you think you are? You ain't my fuckin' daddy," Cullen bit out, but before he could blink, Declan had firmly taken his arm in a vice-like grip and pulled him close.

"No, thank God for that, but you have seen what I'm capable of and Charleigh's like family to me. You ever fucking touch her again, I'll put your ass in the ground myself," Declan growled, making sure that Cullen heard him loud and clear before releasing him and watching him head off into the crowd, steering clear of Charleigh, who was off in the corner talking to Renee, Clayton's wife. And from the looks of it, she'd put on a mask once again because she was now laughing and smiling like nothing had happened.

The entire situation irked him, and despite how much she was attempting to hide it now, he knew he'd offended her.

"Kopus!" Clayton's voice shouted from behind him, back at the grill. "Get your ass over here, man! The damn food is burning!"

"You've got hands, McKenzie! I think you can manage flipping a burger," Declan laughed, shaking his head and headed back to the guys. After flipping a few, he pulled his phone out and glanced over in Charleigh's direction, locking eyes with her briefly as he tapped out a text to her.

 _I'm sorry, Char. I didn't mean to hurt or upset you, that wasn't my intention. -Dec_

He watched as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. "What was that all about over there anyway?" Clayton asked, disrupting Declan's train of thought.

"Dude, I won't get into right now because even I don't know the full story. What I do know is that piece of shit she arrived here with needs his ass severely beat," Declan bit out, suddenly in a state of pissed off again.

"Why? What the fuck did he do, Dec?" Clayton all but shouted, until Declan assured him he'd fill him in later.

 ***~STA~***

A few hours later, Charleigh stood talking to Lisa, Declan's wife, and laughing as she watched the kids splash around in the pool with Clayton and Declan, who'd both jumped in after everyone had eaten. Charleigh, having had two drinks was feeling good, but still completely sober—the complete opposite of Cullen. He'd completely gone off on his own and had most likely ingested fifty percent of the alcohol that Declan and others had provided out there. While talking to Lisa, Charleigh was facing yet another problem; She couldn't help but feel that something was off with Lisa, she just couldn't put her finger on what. She was a beautiful woman full of independence and integrity, blessed with one of the best men Charleigh had ever known to call her husband, and yet tonight, she sensed a bit of underlying anger and bitterness emanating from her. Not that Charleigh felt any of those things were directed at her, but just...something wasn't right. And as they sat there, her attention would go to Declan now and again. She'd never answered his text that he'd sent her earlier. It wasn't that she was angry, because she wasn't. However, she'd be lying if she said his words and accusations hadn't hurt. She honestly had no idea what to say to him. No one knew what she was going through, and no one knew how many times she'd tried to end the shit relationship she was in, how many times she'd fought back.

"Momma, watch!" The sweet voice of her daughter, Riley, called out, shaking her from her thoughts. Riley was perched upon Declan's shoulders, as Noah was on Clayton's.

Chicken fighting.

She couldn't help but laugh as she watched their small bodies fight it out, but due to Clayton being quite a bit smaller in stature than Declan, Riley had an advantage and she used it to the fullest extent, sending Noah toppling into the water, pulling Clayton with him. Charleigh cheered for her, clapping and laughing as Riley giggled...at least until she locked eyes with Declan. Eyes which held knowledge of what she'd been trying so hard to keep hidden and now that it was out, she couldn't look at him without feeling ashamed and embarrassed.

Declan watched as the smile quickly disappeared from Charleigh's face the moment she looked at him. What he'd said had obviously struck a little deeper than he'd realized. He fully intended to go and try to smooth things over with her, especially since she'd never texted him back but he couldn't as she was standing with his wife, Lisa, who'd been staring daggers at him all night. He had no idea what her problem was this time. They'd fought so frequently over the past six months that he no longer knew what they were fighting about half of the time. He'd get home and she would be at his throat. And the thought of what Lisa could possibly be filling Charleigh's head with made his stomach sick. Lord knew, the woman didn't need any more reasons to think ill of him.

Sometime later, as the kids continued splashing around and playing with Clayton, Declan caught sight of a completely drunken Cullen making his way toward Charleigh in a stupor, and there was no mistaking the anger in his eyes. Declan, knowing shit was about to go down, called out to Clayton over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off of the scene before him.

"What's up?" Clayton asked breathlessly.

"Get the kids in the house. Now." Declan told him in a low menacing tone that Clayton knew better than to argue with, especially after he followed Declan's line of sight, realizing that whatever was going on was related to whatever Declan had walked up on earlier in the night.

Declan waited until the kids were inside before he steathily made his way across the pool and slowly approached the scene. Everyone in attendance at the barbecue had begun watching as Cullen obnoxiously shouted at her, backing her into the corner of the pool fence.

"It's high time you start respectin' me and doin' as I tell ya...quit bein' such a bitch all the fuckin' time! I ain't takin' it no more and you know what happens when you piss me off, we don't want that now do we?"

Charleigh shrunk back against the fence, the stench of alcohol on his breath obviously getting to her. "Cullen, don't do this here. Not now. The kids are here and everyone is watching, you're making a fool of yourself," she mumbled, loud enough for Declan to hear. At that moment, Cullen's hand shot out, grabbing her roughly at the waist, making her cry out in pain. "Dammit, I can't do this shit anymore, Cullen! I can't handle your fucking drinking anymore. You need help! You've put your hands on me for the last time. I'm done with you!" She angrily cried as she watched his eyes fill with rage and his fist rear back. Knowing what was coming, Charleigh winced and put her hands up in defense of her face—that is until Cullen was ripped away and slammed forcefully against the wall beside her, Declan's hand tight around his throat, as his other hand balled into a fist and plowed into Cullen's face. Twice.

Charleigh watched on in horror and confusion as Declan seethed, his body dripping from his sudden leap out of the pool.

"You son of a bitch, I warned you to keep your fucking hands off of her!" Declan shouted, plunging his fist into Cullen's gut. "Two things are going to happen here; one, you're going to get the fuck off of my property, and two, you're going to apologize."

"The hell I am!"

"Really?" Declan darkly chuckled before headbutting him, splitting Cullen's head open as blood start to seep from the wound. "You really want to play this game? Apologize or it's only going to get worse for you."

Needing all of the yelling to cease, Charleigh took hold of Declan's large bicep, gently tugging to no avail as she pleaded with him to stop.

"Fuck you, asshole," Cullen shouted, then grinned drunkenly, looking around as though he were untouchable and was doing this for everyone's entertainment. With a move so quick it was no more than a blur, a resounding crack was heard as Cullen screamed in pain. Charleigh followed Declan's left hand down to where it held Cullen's hand, bent at a completely unnatural angle.

He'd just broken his hand.

Declan's eyes turned black as he visibly tightened his grip around Cullen's neck. He moved in closer until they were nose to nose.

"You better listen to me fucking good, Atwood; if you ever, and I do mean ever, contact Charleigh or the kids again, if you so much as look their way or speak their names, I will put you in the ground," Declan growled menacingly in an octave and voice Charleigh had never heard come from him before. "The only saving grace you have right now are the kids being here because I can promise you one thing, ain't a soul here that would rat me out for fucking killing you."

"Declan," Clayton spoke, coming up on him from behind, having left the kids inside with his wife, Renee. "Want some help in getting this pathetic piece of shit off your property?" Declan turned his head to smile at Clayton and nodded.

"Hear that, bitch?" Clayton snarled, getting up in his face as they moved and began hauling him out of the pool area and off the property where Charleigh was sure he'd receive a beat down he was sure to not recover from for some time. As they disappeared into the darkness she caught Declan glance back at her but she couldn't read his expression.

The silence surrounding her was deafening as she glanced around at friends and neighbors she'd grown up with, all eyes trained on her. From looks of sympathy, to pity, to disapproval...she could feel it all closing in on her and she couldn't handle it.

Then her eyes met Lisa's.

Declan's wife looked on at her with such hatred that she'd wished the world would swallow her up whole. Then Lisa had turned her attention in the direction Declan had gone, the look not leaving her face, before turning and leaving. This was why she never talked about what really went on between she and Cullen. This was why she hadn't wanted him to come with her. And this was why she suddenly felt tears spill over; it was as though she couldn't breathe.

"Charleigh..." Renee called out, snapping her out of it. "Go home, okay? The kids can stay with Clay and I tonight. Just go."

"Thank you," she cried, "Tell Declan I'm sorry for ruining his night and thanks anyway, okay?"

Renee nodded her affirmation that she would and then ushered her to go.

Not needing to hear the words a second time, Charleigh hurriedly grabbed her purse from inside and ran out to her truck, where she sat inside and cried alone in silence for some time. It was only when she heard a tap against the window, that she snapped out of her thoughts. She tearfully glanced out at Declan, who stood outside her truck, his chest still heaving in anger, and emotions flashing in his eyes that she didn't recognize. Too embarrassed and humiliated by the entire situation, and not trusting herself to speak to him without completely falling apart, Charleigh put the key in the ignition and gunned the engine, leaving no question about her emotional state.

 ***~STA~***

She was pissed at him, she hated him.

Those were the only thoughts that continuously ran through Declan's mind after Charleigh peeled out, leaving him in the dust. He honestly was just trying to protect her, but apparently he hadn't thought it through and she'd suffered from it. Granted, she'd most likely have suffered much worse had he done nothing and let it continue. Most of their friends in attendance had cut out after he and Clayton returned and he couldn't say he minded. The whole incident had pretty much signaled that the party was over. He was now in the pool house, attempting to rinse Cullen's blood from his hands.

"You must be real proud of yourself, huh?" His wife's voice mocked him from behind, as he looked back at her in the reflection of the mirror. "Did that make you feel like a man? Beating the shit out of a man so drunk he could hardly function?"

Hearing her attempt to defend Cullen set him off. "Hardly function? Are you fucking kidding me with that horse shit, Lee? He was about to fucking punch Charleigh! I wasn't going to just sit there and watch it happen!"

"Of course, you weren't. Not your precious, Charleigh. What's so special about her, anyway, huh? You spend all of your damn time at the ranch rather than here at home," she questioned him, chuckling darkly. "You fucking her?"

Declan grew hot. He wasn't going to listen to this, wasn't going to let her start yet another fight. And to know that she'd actually just accused him of infidelity, with Charleigh, hurt him. It hurt deep. Yes, he spent most of his time on the ranch and at the fight club, but it certainly wasn't because he had something going on with Charleigh. They hadn't been together for more than a decade, before he ever even met Lisa, before Charleigh had the twins, hell, before he'd begun working on the Lazy E. And he'd only once ever been unfaithful and it had been many years ago and surrounded a situation he regretted to this very day.

Furious with her accusations, he rounded on her and threw the hand towel to the ground in anger. "Don't even fucking start that shit with me, Lisa. Not tonight. I work my damn ass off to provide you with everything you could possibly want and more. I've never stepped out on you, that's not me. I've been faithful to you no matter what we've gone through and for you to throw that bullshit at me for defending her, for stopping an asshole from hitting her is fucking low. I've spent more time with Charleigh in those twenty minutes tonight than I have in the past six months. Yeah, I may work at the ranch, but I never fucking see her and even if it was regular, what difference does it make? Anytime I'm home, you're gone, and when you are here, you can't stomach the though of me touching you, so I could ask you the same fucking thing. You sleeping with someone?"

Declan watched as Lisa stared back at him, unable to speak. With a shake of the head, willing his emotional turmoil away, he turned to walk out but the clearing of her throat stopped him. "Declan..."

He stopped on his way out the door, bracing a hand against the door frame, keeping his back to her.

"Yes, I've been sleeping with someone, and the problem is, you just very possibly killed him," she spat viciously.

Not able to handle any more, Declan felt his eyes well up as he turned to look at her, not an inkling of remorse in her face. In fact, she gazed at him in despise. "Well then, Lisa, I guess you got what you wanted. We're done," he told her, his voice nothing more than a weak whisper as he pushed off the door frame and walked out, not able to bear looking back.


	2. Chapter 2

Charleigh wasn't sure how long she'd been up there, but after her sudden departure from the barbecue, she'd gone straight to the ranch, grabbed a bottle of Jack and went up to her place of solace—the hay loft. With her back braced against the open window frame, and one leg hanging out, Charleigh looked out into the night, the sky full of stars and the moon shining big over the acreage of the ranch, the light bouncing off of the mountain peaks in the distance. Her mind had been running the events of the night on a continuous loop since she'd left—hence the reason she'd picked up the whiskey. Charleigh didn't drink often, but the clusterfuck that was tonight called for it. The looks from everyone gathered around, the whispers, the fact things had gotten so out of hand that her brother felt the need to remove the children from the situation...everything weighed heavy on her mind. Her head hurt from all the tears she'd cried, her heart hurt just thinking of what people thought about her now, and her body hurt from the sheer exhaustion of never giving herself a break. Bringing the bottle to her lips, she took a swig as she was then startled by the heavy footsteps of none other than Declan approaching, his own bottle in hand. Charleigh warred with herself on what to say to him as he was a recovering alcoholic and she didn't want to see him relapse back down that road.

His jeans hung loosely on his hips, his gray button-up undone to halfway down his chest, and sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His unruly dark hair, which usually hung a little past his shoulders had been pulled back into a bun as he came to take a seat opposite her, leaning against the window frame.

"You don't mind, do you?" He asked before fully getting comfortable, his voice eerily solemn. "I had no idea you'd be up here."

Charleigh briefly glanced at him and shook her head as she looked back out into the night aimlessly. Lengthy silence passed between them before Declan finally took a breath and sighed loudly.

"So, on a scale of one being pissed at me, and ten being ready to feed my balls to me, where do you stand?" He asked, his voice cracking as he took a pull from his bottle.

"I was never mad at you, Declan," she answered sullenly. "I wasangry with myself. I've never felt so embarrassed or humiliated, so ashamed in my life. The stares, the whispers...I can't get the shit out of my head."

Declan paused, his bottle resting on his full bottom lip. "You're joking, right?" He asked, watching as she remained unphased, staring out the barn window. He knew what she was doing—he'd known her long enough to read her like a book. Charleigh was avoiding looking at him because once she did, she'd break. He could see her struggling behind her tough exterior and however much alcohol she'd already consumed. "Fuck everyone else, Char. You did nothing wrong tonight. If the assholes in this town don't see that you were the victim tonight and had done what you could, then that's their problem and I'll be there to piss on their ashes when they're dead and gone."

Charleigh couldn't help but laugh. "My God, Dec, could you be any more morbid?"

"Probably," he answered back nonchalantly as he winked and took a swig. "Since we're on the subject, you gonna tell me how long that son of a bitch has been hitting you?"

The smile that had graced her face instantly vanished as she shifted uncomfortably, leaning up from the frame and turning herself to sit forward, both legs now hanging out. Her long, auburn hair curtained her face from his view. "Can we talk about something else?" She whispered.

"Charleigh, it's just me and you up here, okay? We've always bounced our thoughts off each other and lord knows, you've helped me through way more bullshit than you should have. I hate the thought of you dealing with all of this alone and you shouldn't have to. Please? Talk to me," he quietly pleaded, leaning forward and taking her small hand into his large one, causing her to turn her head to him, tears once again leaking from her eyes. She sniffled and gently squeezed his hand back, taking in a deep breath.

Declan was right. They had always been each other's confidant when it really mattered, and this was definitely one of those times. But there was something in his eyes too; something which told her she wasn't the only one in need of a shoulder tonight. His hazel eyes—eyes that she'd once known better than she knew herself—were tormented, his body moved stiffly, and his posture...she could read it coming off of him in waves; he was hardly holding it together.

"This isn't something that's easy for me to talk about, Declan. If I go there, I fully expect for you to return the favor and tell me who's responsible for the pain I see in your eyes. "

"Pain?" Declan scoffed, his forehead twisting in confusion. "I'm fine."

"Right, because you brood all the time?"

"I am not brooding," he laughed as she fixed him with a hard glare. Declan's smile slowly faded as he realized he hadn't hidden the betrayal as well as he thought.

"Declan, you're holding a fucking bottle of Blanton's," Charleigh deadpanned, watching as his eyes grew just as serious upon the subject coming up. "I haven't seen you drink since...well since we were together and something has obviously upset you enough to turn back. I need to know you're going to be okay, because I'll never forgive myself if I sit here and watch you drink and then..."

"Hey, I'm good, okay? I promise you, Char," he replied tenderly, knowing full well where her concern lay, "I drink once in a while with the guys and have been able to keep my cool. I just haven't around you, never felt good about it, if you know what I mean." he told her, hoping to calm her anxiety and then smirked in her direction. "I fucking hate that you know me so well sometimes, you know that?" He asked, raising a brow as she laughed and looked down to their hands. "Come on now; lay it on me."

"It started around three months ago, Dec," Charleigh whispered, watching as his eyes narrowed and his bottle was lowered to his lap.

" _Three months?"_ He echoed, his voice dropping dangerously low. "You've been dealing with this bullshit for three months?" His brow furrowed deeply as he looked on in disbelief before taking a large pull from his bottle.

She didn't know what to say or how to say it. Declan was pissed off, and when he got that way, it was best to say nothing at all. Releasing her grip on his hand, she scooted down to lean her shoulder and head against the window frame, letting the tears fall.

"It's not like I didn't try to get out, Dec, so you don't have to look at me like that. I think you made your point earlier tonight, okay? I know I went about things the wrong way, and I know I was naïve in thinking I could handle it myself. And I honestly thought I had. When he hit me the last time, I kicked him out. I swear to God I did, but then I woke up the next morning and he was in bed beside me. No matter how many times I've kicked his ass out, threatened him or attempted to fight back, it's never been enough."

Declan listened, and despite the regret he felt for the things he'd said earlier in the night, there were a few questions he had that needed to be answered.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath. "Charleigh, I'm sorry about what I'd said earlier. I didn't mean to hurt you, but at the time, the things I said were out of frustration with you not letting me help you and get rid of him, and no matter how much I hate to admit it, the things I said still ring true. Why? Why didn't you ever come to me or hell, Clayton, to help you? If that bastard wasn't taking the eviction well, then you should've come to one of us. We'd have taken care of it."

"Yeah, right," she bit out. "There would have been less than favorable outcomes had I have come to you or Clayton. One, my brother has a family of his own. Had I have told him everything, it wouldn't have stopped at kicking him off the property. He would have literally killed him and I wasn't risking him going to prison for something like that and leaving his family behind. I've been there...I _am_ there. Only there's no chance for mine to come back because he's dead," Charleigh spat, wiping at her eyes angrily as she began to see Declan's features softening.

"Char, I..." he started to speak but was abruptly cut off. She wasn't done yet.

"And you? For Christ's sake, Declan, you're married. You have a beautiful wife that you should be starting a family with and..." Charleigh's voice trailed off as she was suddenly thrown for a loop. Declan's eyes had begun to shine with tears as his chin trembled.

"Not anymore, I'm not," he choked out bitterly. Not once in the fifteen years that she'd known him had she ever seen him cry. He had always been one to tough things out, bottle them up and then release them in his own way. But this, what she was looking at was a broken man.

"Dec, what are you talking about? I...I just saw Lisa at the party tonight."

"We got into a fight, again. That's all we've done for the past few months."

"But a fight is a fight, Declan. You shouldn't be here; you need to be there with her, trying to work it out," she exclaimed, turning her body to full face him.

"Working it out is no longer an option. I'm exhausted, Charleigh, and the hurt she inflicted tonight is the kind we won't bounce back from. She complains all the time that I'm never home, but when I do manage to get time off, she's always gone. And on the rare occasions that we're home at the same time, she never fails to find something for us to fight about. I probably shouldn't be telling you this and you most likely don't care to hear it, but we haven't even been intimate in the last year. Believe me, it hasn't been from lack of trying on my part either. Lisa just brushes me off as though the thought of being with me sickens her," He could see the complete bafflement in Charleigh's green eyes. Declan watched as she slid herself closer to him, taking his hand once again in her own and rubbing his shoulders and back with the other. As if the emotions weren't indication enough, the tremors shooting through his hands told her the amount of stress he was under.

"What happened tonight, D? I've never seen you like this," she firmly asked, her heart breaking for him.

"Well after you left, I went to find her because I'd seen the daggers she was shooting my way before I hauled Cullen's ass off. We began to argue as usual, but she was shouting at me, something I don't care too much for—as you well know. Lisa accused me of stepping out on her," he explained, wiping at his nose. "With you."

Charleigh instantly dropped his hand at the revelation Lisa believed she and Declan were sleeping together, horror in her eyes. "She what?" she whispered, shaking her head and shrinking away. Her mannerisms spoke volumes to him as he could see the wheels turning in her head and knew if he didn't say something, she was going to begin blaming herself for the end of his marriage.

"Turns out it was her desperate attempt at trying to throw the fault on someone else because she's the one that stepped out. She all but accused me of murdering Cullen, telling me in the same sentence she'd been having an affair with him."

On top of the hell he'd been putting Charleigh through, Cullen had been sleeping with Lisa? _Declan's wife?_ That tidbit of information when put together with the events of tonight was a complete mindfuck for Charleigh. She absolutely hated this situation for Declan. But her? She was straight pissed the hell off. And Declan saw this too as soon as she downed a good chunk from her bottle.

"How long?" Charleigh questioned, gripping his forearm gently.

"Don't know. Didn't ask," he answered gruffly, looking down at the pasture below them.

"How could she possibly throw around accusations if she's the one that's been stepping out? And with Cullen?! Jesus, Dec, I'm sor..."

"Don't you dare, woman," he sniffled, pressing a long, calloused finger to her lips and giving her a stern look. "You have nothing to be sorry for. And trust me, I let her have it for accusing you and me of ever sleeping together. She was just pissed because I'd actually stood up for you in front of everyone and stuck it to Cullen. I told her that I would have done the same for anyone, but that you were like family and I'd look out for you until the day I die. And then there's also the bit where you and I hardly ever see each other, which I told her I'd seen you more in the past two days than I had in the last six months."

"Til the day you die? Wow, a little dramatic, Declan. Don't you think?"

"Not even a little. I would and I will. I mean it, and I would think by now you knew that," he answered shaking his head, with an intensity burning in his eyes that she hadn't seen for a long time.

"I guess I do, but hearing you say it just...I didn't know...where has that side been all these years?" She questioned, smiling as she ribbed him.

"Don't know and don't get used to it either, princess," he replied with a shake of his head and a smile.

"This is probably...no. This is most definitely the wrong timing but have you any idea how fucking bad I want to go back to your place and beat her ass?"

He couldn't help but laugh. Her alcohol intake was beginning to really kick in, and he wasn't going to lie, so was his.

"I'd pay good money to see that," Declan smirked, playfully shoulder bumping her, then with a sigh said, "There's nothing there anymore, Char. I think I was just fighting a losing battle for the past several months. I've tried so hard to make this work, to reignite what fire we once had, but it's all been to no avail."

"Well, I'm gonna fire this back at you. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I just didn't feel that talking to you about my marital problems was appropriate. After everything you went through both with Cullen and Jax, and what I put you through years ago, I didn't' want to ask you to listen to my whiney, insecure bullshit, it just felt insensitive."

"Declan, you can tell me anything, you know that, regardless of what may have happened in the past," she replied, suddenly finding herself drawn to the exposed spattering of hair upon his tanned chest and realizing that maybe she'd consumed a little much.

"You good? I'm sorry if I overstepped, I know Jax isn't the easiest to talk about," Declan asked, gazing at her quizzically as she slouched back a bit.

"No, it's okay, Declan, sometimes it feels good just hearing his name. And if you remember correctly, I confided in you quite a bit when he passed,I just thought we were in a good enough place where you'd have felt comfortable talking to me about Lisa, that's all."

"We can talk, Charleigh. About Jax if it would make you feel any better," Declan told her quietly.

"No. I'd rather not. I don't want to deal with anymore bullshit. I just wish I could have one day with nothing to do, no assholes to deal with on behalf of my lazy ass father, no bitching farmer's too cheap to hire their own staff, just a day of nothing. A day of peace, but it's like its wishful thinking out here."

"All you need to do is tell Clay its getting to you and take a damn day off woman. Fuck, do I need to step in and get you a day off?"

"No," she laughed, rolling her eyes at him. "You do realize how hypocritical it is of me to judge Cullen on his drinking when I'm sitting here with nearly a full bottle of Jack gone."

"Don't go there, darlin', because there's one big difference between you and I, and Cullen. We've never done this together, and if you ask me, it was high time we had a drink and didn't give a fuck what anyone else thinks. As far as I'm concerned, we were both shit on today and we deserve to have at least a little fun."

"Fun?" Charleigh questioned, as Declan rose to his feet. "Talking about problems is fun?"

"No, definitely fucking not. _But_ axe throwing is!" He answered as he reached a hand down to help her to her feet, smiling brilliantly as she first groaned at the idea of axe throwing—she sucked at it and he literally whooped her ass every time, but then she stumbled and fell into his chest, laughing as she did so. He helped to right her and Charleigh couldn't help but drink in his woodsy, masculine scent and the way his thick long eyelashes casted shadows beneath his eyes. She wasn't sure how long she'd stared, but his hand rising to scratch at his beard snapped her out of the fog. Her legs suddenly buckled beneath her, pushing her into him again, this time, her eyes rising and locking on his which had gone dark. In her hazy mind, she failed to recognize what that meant.

"I've missed this, Dec," she told him matter-of-factly with a large, alcohol induced smile. "Missed you."

"Sweetheart, if you only knew..." he laughed as she pushed away from him.

"Well, come on, pretty boy. Ready to get your ass kicked?" She called over her shoulder as she started down the ladder of the loft.

"Ahhh, feeling confident tonight, are we?"

"Always," she told him with a wink as he met her down at the barn floor.

 ** ***~STA~*****

Warmth. Warmth was the first thing which registered in Charleigh's sleep addled, hungover mind as she listened to the crow of her father's annoying ass rooster. Deciding it was just too damn early, she shifted in her spot, burrowing deeper into her...? Why did she hear crunching and feel prickly scratches against her skin?

"Nah nah nah, you're waking up, my sweet sister whether you want to or not. _Right. The. Fuck. Now."_ The sound of Clayton's voice stirred her eyes open as she instantly knew that whatever had upset him had done a good job of it because he never spoke to her like that. As she took in her surroundings, her stomach hit bottom—filled with dread—as she moved her arm behind her, her hand immediately coming in contact with flesh. Closing her eyes as though if she reopened them she'd be back in her bedroom, she shifted around, clutching a blanket to her chest as she locked eyes with a very disheveled Declan, remorse etched deeply into his face as his eyes swam with unshed tears.

"Yeah, take a good look around, Charleigh. It's fucking real," Clayton seethed, his voice thick with disgust and disappointment. She tried to think back but obviously she'd consumed more than she'd anticipated last night and had blacked out, and for once, she prayed Declan had as well. "Either of you dumbasses mind explaining to me just what the hell I walked in on this morning?"

"Hey, man, not cool. You can be pissed at me all you want, but you don't have to talk to her like that. If I remembered anything, I'd tell you but I'm just as confused as you are," Declan barked as he rose to a sitting position.

"Clayton, I don't...we just..." Charleigh began, her voice trembling, but was cut off.

"Put some damn clothes on and then meet me at the house. We're all going to have a sit down and talk," Clayton hissed and began to walk off but then turned back at the sound of her voice.

"Clay?" She meekly called out.

"What?"

"The kids...They haven't...they didn't...?"

"No, Charleigh, thank God I was the first one up here," he spat before starting down the ladder.

After being sure that her brother had made his way out of the barn, Charleigh turned her back to Declan, completely mortified and ashamed by what had obviously transpired last night.

"Charleigh?" Declan spoke, his voice still gritty from sleep. "I can't tell you how sorry I am. I don't remember anything...I-I must have blacked out," he told her as he slowly stood, reaching for his jeans which laid on a bale of hay a few feet away.

"I don't remember anything either, Dec, and you have nothing to be sorry for. We're both at fault here."

"You okay?" He asked from behind her.

"No, I'm definitely not okay. I woke up to realizing that not only was I lying in bed naked and tangled with you, my brother was standing over us yelling at me. I don't know about you, but that pretty much adds up to one shitty morning," she rambled, her voice raising in octave and volume with each word. Declan watched carefully as she kept her back to him, her arms crossed over her chest. Her shoulders had begun to tremble and he knew without looking her in the eye that she had begun to cry. There weren't words to describe how badly the predicament they'd woken up to had made him feel. The lack of memory and knowledge that this had happened while he was inebriated only made it worse.

"Listen to me, Char, we both got pretty lit last night, that much I do remember. Not that I'm excusing what happened, but alcohol makes people do stupid shit, okay? And I can say that because you've seen me at my worst. I know that in the grand scheme of things, we fucked up _...royally._ Something like this isn't typical of you, and while I can't say the same for me, its been years since something like this has happened, and I know you know that." He told her, though he knew that even as he spoke the words to her, it didn't mean anything when it really came down to it and he wasn't looking forward to the ass chewing they both were soon to receive from Clayton.

"I'm so ashamed of what we've done, Declan. After everything you told me last night, everything you went through, I should have known better. There's no explanation that will make what we did last night okay, two wrongs don't make a right."

Charleigh watched as Declan shook his head, hay tangled in his hair, and slumped against the wall of the loft.

"What happened last night, we made a colossal mistake, we both know that. We never should have brought alcohol into it. Especially me. I wasn't lying last night when I told you that I have the occasional drink now and again, but not to this extent. I haven't blacked out since..." Declan trailed off, their eyes locking intensely, both knowing full well when he last blacked out and it was a time that held painful memories for all involved. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Believe me, I've got a lot of shit going on in my head, but I will say that while last night was fucked up in every sense of the word and I don't remember any of it, I have to be honest, Char. I can't regret this having been with you," he told her thickly. His emotion took her off guard. Everything had gone from really bad to beyond complicated in the worst of ways. She lowered her head as a lone tear fell from her cheek before taking in a deep breath. She was tired of hiding things, tired of being afraid to say how she truly felt and as it was, Declan seemed to be in a state of 'don't hold anything back'. If she were being truthful, things couldn't get any worse than they already were.

"I could never regret being with you, Declan, but last night never should have happened. I refuse to be the other woman," she whispered. "I was raised better than that. We just filled a void left from the hurt we both endured yesterday."

Declan was completely flabbergasted by not only her words but the conviction she conveyed as she spoke them. He reached out to gently hook his finger under her chin and turned her face towards him. "Char, I need you to really hear me right now, okay? It doesn't matter how drunk I was last night, I would _never_ expect you to be the 'other woman' nor did I intend to make it so, and just hearing you say that hurts. You can tell yourself all you want that vulnerability or our need to fill a void is why we found ourselves in bed together this morning, but deep down, I think we both know that's horse shit."

Not wanting to admit to anything that would encourage him, Charleigh shrugged his hand off her shoulder and shook her head. "Great. Since you have it all figured out, you know as well I do that to anyone on the outside looking in, I took advantage of a _married_ man last night, and lord knows they already think the worst of me as it is."

"Stop right there," Declan told her firmly. "You just nailed the contradiction to your bullshit; you said it would appear that way to anyone on the _outside_ looking in. I know for a damn fact that you didn't take advantage of me because if there's anything I know about myself, it's that I don't do _anything_ I don't want to do. And neither do you. Just like you, I haven't a clue what happened after we blacked out last night, but I damn sure know it wasn't that and who cares about what everyone else thinks? I sure as hell don't and you shouldn't either. You have nothing to prove to anyone and quite frankly, it's nobody's business."

"Will you toss me my shirt please?" Charleigh asked, her voice laced with sadness, pointing out where it lay behind Declan. "Maybe you can be okay with what happened last night, Declan, but I'm not. Not only was I humiliated in front of God and everyone, I inadvertently proved Lisa right. I'm no fucking better than she is. I saw you were vulnerable and made a move, whether you'll admit it or not. " She answered, biting back. "Now, before Clay comes back up here to scream at us some more, why don't you go on to the house and let me get dressed?"

"I'm sorry, I thought there were two of us at fault here?" Declan questioned, moving to face her, his eyes narrowed as he angrily scratched at his head. "If you seriously think I'm okay with this, then you really don't know me as well as I thought you did. I never once said it was okay, I simply said I'm glad it was with you and not someone else. So, while you're sitting there telling me you don't want to be the other woman, keep in mind that I'm over here trying to come to terms with the fact I just cheated on my wife. No matter how I feel or what way I try to spin it, nothing will change that so remember that you weren't the only one this affected, okay? If you want to dwell on your theory of taking advantage of me to make yourself feel better, then knock yourself out, but I'm telling you now that's not what happened, drunk or not. And don't ever let me hear you compare yourself to Lisa, you're better than that, Charleigh."

"Better than her? Tell me how that is when I obviously fucked you last night?! You know, this situation isn't all that different from what fucking happened all those years ago, only right now, at this moment, I feel like that bitch you were buried balls deep inside of. So tell me, Declan, how the fuck am I supposed to be acting?! How does this part go?" Charleigh shouted, the hurt in her voice coming in waves, spewing words which she regretted the moment they passed her lips. Her recollection of what happened and the comparison to their situation now sliced right through him.

"Believe what you want, Charleigh," he choked out, emotion thick in his voice, "You have no idea what really happened all those years ago, and Lisa, Bridgette...they'll never be in the same realm as you. But it's good to know you think so highly of me...I honestly thought we'd moved past all of that. Guess I was fucking wrong," he whispered, letting a few tears fall as he ran a hand through his hair and snatched his shirt from a bale of hay angrily on his way out.

Once he was out of sight, Charleigh let her emotions have her as she slowly got dressed. As delicious as the aches she felt from his apparent actions last night were, they only reminded her of the severity of their mistake. Declan wasn't a free man, and despite what happened with him and Lisa last night, there was still a chance for them to repair their marriage. Yet she'd gone and slept with him. She never imagined the two of them coming together again, much less in a situation like this. No matter if she remembered anything or not, regardless of how much a part alcohol had or hadn't played in the events of last night, what they'd done sickened her. She just wished she'd had better control over her mouth because she'd just brought up the one thing she swore she'd never use against him again.

 ** ***~STA~*****

Charleigh had begun making her way to the house and had just stepped foot out of the barn when she received a text from Renee, telling her she'd be there when and if she needed to talk. She was shocked at how fast Clayton had blabbed, but at the same time wasn't. Charleigh texted back her gratitude and took in a deep breath as she approached the house. She stopped short on the path as she could hear Clayton's voice shouting at who she assumed was Declan.

 _"What the hell were you thinking?!"_

 _"I wasn't, okay?! We had a lot to drink, man!"_

 _"So what, you get fucking wasted and suddenly it's okay to sleep with my baby sister? She was already down enough, the last damn thing she needed was you stepping in and using her, especially after what you did to her! You should've just stayed the fuck home with your WIFE if you were in such dire need of getting your dick wet."_

 _"What I did to her? You know damn good and well why everything happened the way it did all those years ago! Don't fucking start that shit!"_

Unable to listen to the tongue lashing he was directing at Declan any longer, and not knowing what had been said before she walked up on it, Charleigh charged through the door of the house, completely bypassing Declan and getting in her brother's face.

"Screw you, Clay," she spat. "You couldn't even possibly begin to understand what we're going through right now! You sit here, hollering at him for something that happened _years_ ago! How do you know it wasn't me taking advantage of him? You have no idea what fucking happened last night, and I honestly don't think you give a shit. We have enough to deal with and don't need this shit from you. The way you stood over me this morning and the way you looked at me—much like you're doing now—I've never felt more guilt in my life. I won't be made to feel like any more of a whore than I already do, so just do me a favor and back the fuck off. " her tears flowed at a rapid pace as she took one last lingering glance at Declan, regret and hurt, along with something else he hadn't seen in at least a decade staring back at him. And as she abruptly began to walk away, she felt the warmth of a hand gently grab her arm. She knew without turning who the hand belonged to.

"Dec, please, just leave me alone. I shouldn't have said what I did as you were leaving, okay? I didn't mean it. Believe me, I know that whatever happened last night was different. You'd never use me like that, just as I wouldn't you. But I can't do this with you right now," she cried, meeting his eyes and watching him swallow the emotions thickly.

"I'm sorry," he managed to choke out, his voice barely more than a whisper as he lifted his hand to gently caress the side of her face.

"Me too," she murmured brokenly before turning her back and heading to her home set back in the pasture.

Declan watched helplessly as she disappeared into the distance, then felt anger build as he spun back to deal with Clayton. "Are you happy now?" He growled.

"What was she talking about Declan? What aren't you telling me?"

"Not only did you and I put an end to the bullshit at the barbecue, but not two hours later I had a huge blowup argument with Lisa. I've already told you how strained things have been between us for months. Long story short, she confessed to me she'd been having an affair...with Cullen. After telling her we were done, I walked out and came back here to the loft, not thinking anyone was up there so that I could decompress over a drink. Charleigh happened to beat me here and we drank and shot the shit. Next thing we know, we're waking up to this clusterfuck—not that you gave either of us a chance to say anything before you started shouting and judged us. She was right about one thing. We've never felt this much guilt and you aren't doing anything but adding to it," Declan ranted, pointing a finger at him accusingly before turning to walk off.

"I'm sorry for what you're going through with Lisa, man, I am. I had no idea that all went down last night. But are you seriously going to stand there and blame what happened between you two on the drinking?" Clayton asked, folding his arms across his chest. "Whatever possessed you to believe you would be okay getting blasted with Charleigh, of all people?"

"Fuck you, Clay. You can say what you want about me, fire me, I don't give a shit, but she didn't deserve the way you treated her and if you weren't her brother, I'd put you on your fucking ass," venom laced Declan's tone as he glared at Clayton, daring him to challenge him. Once Declan saw his eyes soften and his stance relax, he knew Clayton had acknowledged his behavior and wouldn't have anything more to say. Needing to get out of there before he really did something stupid, he angrily pulled his hair back into a bun, and stormed off to begin his work for the day, despite Charleigh having given him the day off. He needed something to take his mind off of what had happened. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, Declan pressed his speed-dial.

"This is Mando."

"Mando, it's Kopus. I need you to book me a fight tonight," Declan growled, "And get me the biggest fucker you can find."

 ** ***~STA~*****

Charleigh, after having received another text from Renee regarding the kids staying with her at her parents' for a few days, spent the hours following the confrontation on her couch crying it out. She knew she was going to have to pick herself up and get back to reality, but she wasn't ready. Not for the comments or the looks, not for the workload, not for anything.

While her brother had been more than justified in his anger with her, he'd taken it too far in his manner of handling the situation. He'd had no right saying the things he had, and almost feared what may have happened between him and Declan after she'd left. She hated leaving him there alone to face the wrath, especially when most—if not all—was being directed at him. Charleigh feared she'd be pushed into saying things she didn't mean, making everything so much worse than it already was.

She hadn't heard from Declan since this morning, and it probably was for the best. They needed to distance themselves from each other for the time being. His presence only made her feel worse-among other things-and reminded her of how she'd acted so carelessly.

Knocking had been sounding out at her front door for several minutes, but she was determined not to see anyone, she wouldn't have been good company at all.

That was until she heard Clayton's voice on the other side of the door, pleading with her to let him in.

Regardless of whether she wanted to see him or not, she knew he wouldn't give up until she gave in. With a heavy sigh, Charleigh walked to the door, jerking it open.

She wasn't prepared for the look in Clayton's eyes that greeted her. They were agonized and the twitching in his jaw told her he was struggling with his resolve. He tried to tell her he was sorry, but his voice caught in his throat as she opened the door all the way and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight.

"It's okay, Clay," she whispered so unconvincingly, even she wouldn't have believed it.

"No. No, Sis, it's not. I never... _never_ should have treated you the way I did. I reacted before I even gave either of you a chance to explain anything, and knowing what I know now...you have to know I don't think of you as a whore. I never have," he said the word as though it left a bitter taste in his mouth. "You're my sister and I love you. I was mainly acting out in defense of you, although I'm sure to you, it came across as something completely different."

Struggling with herself, Charleigh pulled back and wiped at her eyes. "We fucked up so bad, Clay. Everything's one giant mess now and I don't think I'll ever dig my way out of it," she confessed. "For Christ's sake, I _slept_ with Declan! Of all people, why did he have to be the one that waltzed into the barn?"

"Are you really so surprised? Sis, I know it's bad, okay? I know things are beyond screwed up and complicated right now, but you need to take a step back. You and Declan have a history, one that ended without either of you ever getting closure. Getting drunk, having a random lay...that used to be his M.O. I'm not saying you were random to him, but he could have fallen back into his old ways with the alcohol consumption last night."

"You're being awful critical and harsh on him; you forget that I was there too. And despite what you believe, last night wasn't like that-he didn't use me, of that I'm sure. You said it yourself, it 'used' to be his M.O. He isn't the same man he used to be, and we both know it. Don't judge him based on this one mistake because it's not fair. Bottom line, I slept with a married man and proved his wife right."

"Proved her right?" Clayton asked, confusion in his voice as his brow creased. "You telling me that Lisa knows about this?"

The color drained from Charleigh's face as she realized that Declan hadn't told him, and by her admitting what she knew about Lisa, things had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

"Forget I said anything, I don't want to argue."

"I'm not arguing, Charleigh. What part of the story did he leave out?"

Exhaling on an annoyed breath, Charleigh plopped herself back down on her couch as Clayton came to stand before her.

"Last night, they had a huge fight. Lisa accused Declan of stepping out on her with me, and apparently, after he exploded on her, she admitted to having an affair with Cullen."

"Wow, just when I thought this was complicated enough, you throw that at me. The more and more I hear, the more what happened last night starts to make sense to me, but at the same time not."

"Clay, I really don't want to talk or think about any of this anymore. I don't even want to hear Declan's name at this point."

"Yeah, he's not my biggest fan right now anyway."

"What happened after I left?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Declan did what he always has. He stood up for you, went off on me, told me I could fire him, but that if I weren't your brother, he'd have beat my ass," Clayton told her with a laugh.

"Well, it wasn't like you didn't deserve it," she replied, her lips curving slightly into a smile.

"Look, sis, I'm going to tell you like I told him; I don't think you two can place all the blame on the alcohol, okay? And before you tell me to fuck off, same as he did, all I'm saying is you two should probably talk this out once the smoke has cleared."

"There's nothing to talk about, Clay, now if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone," she whispered, knowing deep in her heart she was lying to herself.

 ** ***~STA~*****

His muscles burned from the overexertion he'd put himself through, hauling things around the barn and ranch. Declan was a man possessed—by what he couldn't say—but the frustration, hurt, anger and self-loathing he felt fueled him further. He'd been at it since nine this morning, and now as he looked straight ahead to the night sky full of stars from where he sat, the purr and vibration of his Harley between his legs and he roared down the interstate, he saw no end in sight to the drama nor the thoughts. Trying to think of how to right everything had mentally exhausted him and now, he had a fight tonight. He had fought every night since everything happened with Charleigh—which added up to nearly two weeks—and no matter how bad his body ached, he kept going. It had proven to be the best distraction he could find and on each night, Declan honestly didn't know whether he was on his way to receiving a beat down or on his way to deliver one. He knew Lisa, Clayton, and especially Charleigh despised the job, but it paid him good money and served as a vessel for releasing all the tension, stress and anger he felt on a day to day basis.

As he pulled into the hidden concrete tunnel two towns over, he felt a fire quickly build upon sight of a severely bruised and battered Cullen, leaning against a cement pillar near the entrance.

"You've got balls showing your face here," Declan hissed, puffing his chest and charging towards him with the purpose of delivering an encore of the night shit hit the fan.

"Maybe, but I actually have something you may want to see. By now, the message has already reached our precious Charleigh. I'm sure she'll be just thrilled to be given the gift of reliving it all again…" Cullen hissed, pulling out his phone and then turning the screen to Declan.

What greeted him was something he neither remembered, nor enjoyed seeing. The proof of what they'd done stared him in the face. Picture after picture of he and Charleigh together, holding one another so close it was as if their lives depended on it, their mouths glued together passionately, her hands tangled deep into his hair as she rode him. Another as he hovered over her, her toned silky thighs wrapped tightly around his waist, ankles crossed above the small of his back, holding him down...deep. Emotions Declan hadn't felt in years coursed through his veins as he struggled against his body's reaction. The phone cycled through what had to be at least ten to fifteen images, each one worse than the one before.

But the last one...the last one was something which would be burned forever in his mind. A three minute video, complete with the moans, groans, and explicit videography. The sick jackass before him had been there, watching them, recording them. And for what? To exploit them in an effort to make himself feel better? Declan wasn't having it and now that he'd seen physical proof of what they'd done, he wouldn't be able to erase the visuals from his mind. And in turn, only felt the guilt ten fold. Not only had he cheated on his wife, he'd put Charleigh in a horrible situation, and had obviously only complicated things on an unprecedented level. If the words she'd said to him in the video held any real truth—as they often did when alcohol was involved—then she'd bottled up a hell of a lot more than he'd realized.

"That's enough, you son of a bitch, turn it off," Declan warned, practically salivating in anger. When Cullen blatantly ignored him and turned the volume up, he saw red. With one quick motion, Declan caught him by the shirt and hoisted him up against the wall, ripping the phone out of his hands and stomping it beneath his feet. "Where the fuck did you get that?"

"What's it matter? You and that bitch were screwing around on me and Lisa, and now we have proof. What? You think my phone held the only copies?"

"Yeah, all while you were fucking my wife!"

"Prove it," Cullen hissed as Declan tightened his grip around his neck, fully intending to squeeze the life out of the worthless piece of shit.

"Whoa! Hey! Break it up!" Mando hollered, ambushing them with three other guys, all of which struggled to pull Declan back. "You wanna fight? Save it for the ring. Kopus, you're up in ten, and you better get ready, dawg; You got your work cut out for you tonight. As for you," Mando continued, eyeing Cullen who now leaned against the wall, grabbing at his throat as he coughed violently. "Get the fuck out of here." And with a snap of Mando's fingers, the three men followed him out, seeing to it that he left.

Declan immediately pulled his phone from his pocket as he squatted down, giving himself a moment to cool down.

 _ **I realize I'm the last person you want to talk to right now, but I'm begging you, don't open any texts you might receive from Cullen, Lisa, or any other suspicious number. Trust me—Dec**_

He pressed send then ran a hand over his face roughly.

 _ **If you're referring to the pictures and video of us you're too late.—Char**_

 _ **And Dec, please, be careful tonight. Don't do anything stupid.—Char**_

 _ **What are you talking about?—Dec**_

 _ **I know you have a fight tonight. Just be careful.—Char**_

 _ **Always am.—Dec**_

Taking in a deep breath, he turned his phone to silent and walked back to set it in the saddle bag on his Harley, then after ripping his shirt off, headed back in, ready to unleash some of the tension.

 ***~STA~***

Her phone rang and rang, pinging with texts in between as banging echoed on her walls from someone at the front door. Charleigh hadn't slept well at all the night before. With vivid images flashing in her mind on a continuous loop of she and Declan together, she'd had hell falling asleep as they plagued her memory. And then there were her admissions that could be heard on the video if you listened close enough—she only prayed he hadn't.

Groaning in protest, Charleigh rose from the bed and stumbled to her front door, throwing it open to reveal her very panicked and worried sister-in-law. "Renee?" She asked confused. "What's wrong?"

"We've been trying to reach you all morning, Char. Have you looked at your texts?"

"No. I just woke up, had a horrible night. I only pulled myself from bed to answer the door. What's up?"

"It's Declan; There was an accident last night," Renee began and saw the second fear flashed in Charleigh's eyes. She took her by the shoulders firmly, making sure she kept eye contact and kept her cool. "Char, he's okay, just banged up quite a bit," she told her as gently as she could.

"What happened? Where is he?" Charleigh demanded anxiously, fighting her tears as she clenched her fists together.

"He had a big fight last night that apparently turned pretty ugly because the guy wound up chasing Declan down afterwards and ran him off the road."

Renee watched as Charleigh frantically began gathering her keys and purse.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like, Rae? I need to see him."

"Clay set him up at your dad's cabin on Cypress Lake. You sure about this? From what Clay told me, you wanted nothing to do with him."

"It isn't like that, Renee, I just haven't been able to bring myself to talk to him yet, but knowing he's hurt and that someone actually tried to kill him last night, I _need_ to see him."

Renee nodded, whispering her okay and helped her to get her things together, as well as aided in making his favorite soup.

It was as Renee drove that Charleigh checked her texts. Most were from Clayton and Renee, but there were a couple from Declan this morning.

 _ **Still not talking to me?-Dec**_

 _ **That's fine, I understand. I just wanted to let you know I was in an accident last night. My Harley is totaled, but I'm okay. I didn't want you to hear it from someone else and flip out.-Dec**_

"So what are you going to say to him? I know we haven't talked since all of this blew up, but I've been worried about you, honey, "Renee told her, hoping she'd open up.

"In all honesty, Rae, I have no idea. I haven't spoken to him since everything hit the fan. In the back of my mind, I know it's only Declan and I've never had a problem talking to him about anything, even on my worst day. This? This is a whole new ballgame."

"Whatever happened between you two anyway? I didn't meet Clayton until after, and at that time, you were already married to Jax."

"Really? Clayton hasn't told you? I figured he would have—my brother is shit at keeping secrets."

"No, he never told me. I've asked but he always said it wasn't his to tell."

"I never like talking about it, and neither does he—so we don't. It took long enough just for me to move towards being on speaking terms again, and even now, we find ourselves in awkward situations. Like, _that night,_ before the alcohol took effect, we were talking and our past inevitably came up...he couldn't even finish his sentence and I didn't want him to. You know about his alcoholism, right?"

"Clayton's mentioned it, but he's been in recovery for years, right? I can count the times I've seen him drink in the past ten years on one hand, and I can't recall him ever going overboard," Renee answered, her brow creased.

"Well, technically, his recovery ended the second he picked up a drink, but it's no matter if he's in control of it now," Charleigh then shifted to gaze out the window and she took in a deep breath. She really had no problem letting Renee in on what had happened, but it hurt a little more each time. "We met when I was twenty and he was twenty-two at a party Clayton threw while dad was out of town. I can still remember how intrigued I was by him, completely in awe of his good looks and the baritone of his voice. Ironically enough, we officially introduced ourselves to one another in the barn. He'd caught me keeping one of the horses company," she said with a laugh. "I'll never forget his reaction when he walked up on me. He asked me if I really heard them talking back, or if I'd been slipped something. It sparked on a long conversation which eventually...well you get where I'm going. Anyway, we were together five years. Everything with Declan was amazing; the romance, the sex, the fun we had...I had truly found my one. Declan was my best friend, Rae, and I was his. We were inseparable, and at two years, he asked me to move in with him at an apartment he had downtown. But eventually, as time went on and I saw all of our friends going off and getting married, I couldn't help but feel down. I didn't know if it was me, if he wasn't happy, if he was scared...I didn't understand when we'd invested so many years together. I'd try to talk to him about it but he always changed the subject, and right around the time I started to question him about our relationship, his drinking began getting out of hand. Clayton and I both tried relentlessly for weeks during our last few months to get him straight and sober, but it never failed. He'd always relapse, behind our back. So, after what had been a long month, I decided we needed something positive. Clayton decided to throw a party...an alcohol-free party. Declan of course threw a fit but promised me he'd obey Clayton's wishes and would stay straight for the party."

Renee took notice of how her voice had begun to tremble and tears slowly slid down her cheeks.

"Little did we know at the time that Declan had pre-filled a flask full of bourbon and had been sipping it all night. Th-there was a point where I realized he disappeared, I couldn't find him and began asking around and looking for him. When I f-found him, he...he was buried balls deep in that bi...bitch, Bridgette Farrow. I couldn't tear my eyes away from them for the longest time and when he realized I was there, I tore out of the b-barn as fast as I could. He didn't come after me, didn't call me...nothing. He never even came back home," she cried, trying to get a hold of herself.

"The next time I saw him, a year later, he was with Lisa—whom he'd met at his AA group, only she had a ring on her finger and so did he. They'd eloped. Renee, to this day, I've never felt hurt like that. I loved Declan, I loved that man with everything in me and he threw us away as though what we had together meant nothing to him. I'll forever question if I just wasn't good enough, what I did wrong, what pushed him to do something so rash...I'll never know and I'll never ask either. I'm thankful that eventually we were able to move forward and put it behind us in order to be on speaking terms again, because of his job on the ranch—which he held the whole time mind you. I'd left to stay with our cousin, Trinity for the year I was gone to try and get myself together. While we're the best of friends now, we don't talk about it, never have. I'm afraid to. What happened _the other_ night, it brought everything back. I-I can't talk to him...can't think straight. I never wanted us to reconcile in that fashion...never. And I did, I loved Jaxson, but he never was Declan, God rest his soul; bad as it is saying this out loud, I'd only initially slept with Jaxson to get back at him and wound up pregnant with the beautiful children I have now. Jax knew, Rae, he knew where my heart was, but he married me anyway because it was the right thing to do and he thought I would eventually learn to love him, which I did. But now? This pain that I feel...Renee, I don't know what to do with it. It hurts to even look at him because it was like a repeat of that night, only I had switched roles with the other woman."

"My God, Charleigh, I had no idea. No wonder this whole thing has you tore up," Renee told her, reaching for her hand and squeezing it in support. "It explains why Clay freaked the hell out on Declan that morning and why neither of you are speaking."

"I-I don't even know what to s-say to him anymore," she sniffled, wiping furiously at her eyes. "The kids adore him, I don't want to hurt them, but I'm afraid this whole incident has driven the final nail in the coffin."

"You may not appreciate me saying this, but you could always start by telling him how you really feel. Let go of what you've held in all these years. Tell him you still love him, Charleigh."

"No, absolutely not! I can't subject myself to that again, Rae. I can't."

"Then what the hell are you doing in my car? If you truly don't care and think you're done, why are you with me?"

Renee's question pushed the dam of tears she'd been holding back over. Charleigh didn't have an answer. She could deny it all she wanted, she could tell Renee it wasn't true, but she'd be lying. She knew even while she was married that her heart still belonged to him, to Declan—whether he wanted it or not. Sleeping with Jax had only occurred as an attempt on her part to hurt him and she honestly thought she'd succeeded at the time...until he agreed to be the best man at their wedding. While Charleigh honestly did love Jaxson, she knew she was only giving him thirty percent of herself. He'd just loved her too much to ever question it.

"Can we stop talking? Please?" Charleigh whispered. "There's a reason I never talk about what happened so long ago, Renee. Now you know. Let's just drop it, please. I can't handle it and the last thing I need is him questioning what's wrong when we show up, because he __will__ see that I'm upset about something."

"Yeah, you do kind of look like you just suffered a severe allergy attack," Renee joked, earning a slap to the arm and laughing. "I'll drop it, okay? Thank you for telling me, I know it wasn't easy, but I just want you to know that I truly believe you two can work through all of this heartache. The way things happened were less than ideal but everything happens for a reason, and I'm telling you that you aren't the only one who's hurting from this."

"I know I'm not, but when it comes to me and Declan, I just...I can't do it anymore, Renee. I'm done talking about this."

 ** **So, there's the second installment! It's definitely been on the more dramatic side lately****

 ** **but good times ARE coming! Hope you all are enjoying it! See you next week with another update!****

 ** **Please R/R!****


	3. Chapter 3

"Dammit, Mando, you're not hearing me! I said I'm good," Declan argued, growing more and more frustrated by the minute. He'd been laid up for the past few days due to the accident he'd been in, and since that night had been trying relentlessly to have Armando book him another match against the asshole who'd run him off the road. He had suffered road rash all along his right side, and taken a pretty nasty knock to the head. His right knee also felt as though it was out of place, or like he'd pulled something in it, which was on top of the abrasions that stretched from halfway down his calf to the top of his hip.

"You must think I'm crazy, Hoss," Mando exclaimed. "You think I don't know that if I book you to fight, the other guy's leaving in a body bag? I'm not about to have that on my hands, Kopus. What needs to happen is you need to focus on recuperating, and take a break from this shit. I don't know what crawled up your ass this past month but sort that shit out. I'm not booking any more fights for you until that chip on your shoulder's been dealt with, you hear me?"

Declan shouted an expletive in frustration, ending the call and throwing his head back into his pillow. The one release he had from all of the baggage in his life and he'd now been cut off from even that. With all the thoughts he had swimming around in his head from his impending divorce he'd filed for a week ago, to the drama he'd caused in Charleigh's life, he was liable to plunge head first into drinking again which was the absolute worst thing that could possibly happen.

If only he hadn't been such a coward all those years ago and let her in on what had really gone on, their lives would have been one hundred percent different. He had no doubt he and Charleigh would have still been together, but instead he'd let someone into his head and then without question pushed the only person in this world he'd ever truly cared for as far away as was possible. He couldn't believe she even talked to him now, or that he actually had a job still on the ranch.

None of this went against Lisa though. At the time he'd met her, she'd been a God send, an angel gifted to him that pulled him out of the trenches and gave him life once more. Declan had literally been nothing when they met. She'd made him smile once again, which he knew—back then—was no easy task. They'd had fun together, and while their elopement had been rash to most at the time, the four years they'd shared together since that day had been amazing. He loved her, he honestly did, but the last year had taken its toll. He loved her as much as he ever did, but her actions—the things she'd said to him over the past months; the intentional jabs at trying to hurt him—the damage had been done. He truly was worn out.

While he knew the impact their night together had had on Charleigh, he was more confused about where they stood with each other than he'd ever been. True, they never had talked about why or how things had gone wrong between them, and he had grown to accept it over time because he'd rather have her in his life as a friend, than spend his days working on her father's ranch with hatred for him in her heart. It had taken quite some time, but they'd managed to put themselves into a good place—a place which had worked for the two of them for many years, through many situations, but what had happened weeks ago made it no longer possible. He wasn't stupid, he knew that in order for the two of them to get back to that place, they were not only going to have to address what had happened, but they were going to have to address the past. And he'd seen all he needed to see that morning, their actions had brought everything back for Charleigh and talking through their past was most likely something that would break them. With everything he'd experienced over the past year and a half, Declan was done with secrets. Done with hiding what lay in his heart. It was time to come clean, no matter the ramifications it had on his present life. He had nothing to lose—except her.

The fighting helped him pull through all of that. If he sat and let himself dwell on all he'd lost and his transgressions in life, let his mind roll over the memories of he and Charleigh together, Declan would find himself drowning in the bottle once again. The fighting helped him to not drink. The fights he landed were his remedy for everything and now being told he wouldn't be booked until he'd gotten his shit straight...he didn't know what to do. He knew his resolve wasn't strong enough to make it past on his own. Fisting his hands tightly in his hair, and groaning from the pain, he shouted into the empty space of the cabin.

Then a knocked sounded, followed by a very panicked voice. "Declan?!" It was Renee.

"Are you okay?!"

And Charleigh?

Declan jumped up and slowly made his way to the front door. What the hell was she doing there? And why? Now was the worst possible time imaginable for her to show up. Or was it? He thought as he opened the front door.

Charleigh—after taking a look at his battered physique—gently wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close to her. Charleigh's touch, her familiar scent, the caring nature of her embrace—it was the comfort he hadn't realized he needed as he held her snuggly, burying his nose in her hair. When she slowly drew back, her hand found the curve of his jaw and rested there as her eyes carefully scanned him.

"What are you doing here, Char?" He choked out, gently taking her wrist and pulling it from his face, but not letting go.

"I had to make sure you were okay," she answered, taken back by his question, and before he could argue, she told him, "I needed to see for myself, Declan."

Skeptical about letting them in, he darted his eyes behind her to focus on Renee and a Tupperware container she held in her hands. His demeanor softened as he looked back at Charleigh with a half-smile.

"Is that what I think it is?" He questioned, eyeing the container and taking it from Renee's hands as he eyeballed Charleigh.

"Chicken soup, your favorite," she grinned unsurely, "or at least it was the last time I checked."

"Thank you, you didn't have to do this! And yes, your memory served you correctly; You know me, I'm a man of habit," he winked. "Y'all wanna come in?"

Charleigh nodded, "We can for a few minutes I guess."

"Actually," Renee started from the doorstep, "I just have a few errands to run. Charleigh, you're good here, right?"

If looks could kill.

Charleigh's stomach dropped. She wasn't prepared for this. She wasn't prepared to have it out with him yet, and damn Renee for trying to push her into it. Maybe they would eventually on their own time, but to have someone intentionally try to force it on them, she was pissed. She looked at Renee pointedly and begrudgingly answered, "Yeah, that's fine."

Declan wasn't naïve. The girls had obviously talked, but Charleigh's demeanor at the moment screamed of her distress. Renee was being conniving and manipulative, which both surprised him and pissed him off.

"It's okay with me, but I'm going to give you a head's up, sweetheart. Next time you want to try and force someone into facing their problems, don't," he deadpanned, leaving Renee gaping at being called out, as he slowly retreated with Charleigh into the cabin, slamming the door as her face.

After the door shut, both Declan and Charleigh stood unmoving as their internal wars waged in their heads. Not wanting to make the situation any more uncomfortable, Declan playfully elbowed her arm.

"You hungry? This kick ass little Betty Crocker I know cooked up one hell of a batch of chicken soup."

Charleigh laughed, feeling her body relax just a bit as she shook her head. "It's all yours buddy."

"I'm just going to put it out there right now," he told her as he limped into the kitchen, bracing himself on the cane the hospital had provided him, a smile no longer gracing his face, "despite Renee's intentions, if you want to leave, you can take the truck. I won't be going anywhere anytime soon and I'm not going to make you stay."

While the thought was appreciated, the fact Declan felt he needed to offer a way out saddened her. "Am I really that easy for you to read?" She asked him quietly, wringing her hands together.

"You're kidding me, right? I'd like to think I know you better than I know myself even. Char, you don't need to be afraid of me, I'm not going to bite you. But you looked at Renee like she was throwing you to the wolves," he joked, grabbing a spoon and going to the living room to sit on the couch.

"I'm not afraid of you, Dec, I'm just not...things are still fresh and I don't know what to say or how to say it, that's all. I told her I needed to see you, and wanted to bring you some soup, nothing more. And speaking of, wouldn't the bed be a more comfortable place for you to eat?"

The peak of Declan's eyebrow, which was already high enough, rose dramatically as he took the first bite of his soup. "Yeah, it would, but you're already so uncomfortable with being here, I didn't want to make it worse."

With a roll of her eyes, Charleigh grabbed his soup and carried it to the bedroom, setting it on the nightstand, while Declan shouted for her to bring his damn food back. When she came to stand before him in the living room once more, he looked up at her in annoyance.

"Well the fall obviously did nothing for your stubbornness," she mumbled as she extended her hand, helping him up and letting him put some of his weight on her shoulders as they hobbled to the bedroom. She was sure they looked plum ridiculous as they stumbled along as Declan nearly dwarfed her both in height and overall size.

"I don't think anything will ever fix that shit, so don't hold your breath," he laughed as he collapsed onto the bed, swinging his bad leg—with her help—up onto the mattress, groaning in pain as he did so. Then taking the soup from his nightstand, Declan proceeded to eat while she shoved a few pillows up under his knee. "Thanks," he told her with a smile as she sat at the far opposite end of the bed.

"So, what the hell happened, Dec? What's up with your leg?"

"What did they tell you?" He questioned.

"Only that the jackass you fought last night didn't take the loss too kindly and went after you, running you off the road."

"That's putting it lightly. They tell you he had a gun and shot at me before I bailed off the bike?"

Charleigh's eyes went wide.

"No! What the hell, Declan?! He...did you..."

"Darlin', I'm okay, he didn't get me. He didn't necessarily run me off the road, I bailed and crashed. When I did, my Harley slammed back onto my knee. Doc said it's either badly sprained and out of whack which will heal itself over time, or I tore something. Said to give it a few weeks. If it hasn't improved or has worsened, then I tore or broke something and will most likely be destined for surgery," he shrugged.

"And the asshole responsible, has he been caught?"

"Hell no, and I hope they don't catch him because whenever they finally allow me another fight, I'm going to rip his ass apart," Declan answered, trying not to let his anger with the situation get to him too much, at least not with her there.

"Allow you another fight?"

"They won't let me fight until I've gotten rid of the supposed chip on my shoulder."

Unable to help herself, she grinned widely in satisfaction.

"Yeah, yeah. I know you don't agree with the fighting, so you don't have to sit there and look all smug, princess," he told her wryly, wiping at his mouth. "How're the kids?"

Appreciating his change of subject, Charleigh smiled to herself. "They're good. As soon as I let Noah know what was going on, he insisted I let him take on your workload today and every day until you come back."

"Bullshit," he marveled, "are you serious?" Declan exclaimed.

"Dead. You taught him well, Declan," she murmured.

"Think you might be able to bring them by for a few hours or something tomorrow? Maybe even tonight? I miss the little shits and I could use the company."

"You sure about that, Dec? You can't exactly go chasing them around when you're on a cane," she laughed, poking at his leg.

"Then I guess you'll just have to come and stay with us then," he answered nonchalantly, grinning at the fact that she had no argument to come back with.

"We'll see, okay? If I'm not able to come and stay then maybe I can send Clay." Charleigh then thought quietly to herself, unsure of what his answer would be to her next question but it was one she'd wanted answered for quite some time. "Dec, why do you fight the way you do? What ever made you decide fighting was what was missing in your life?"

"You sure you want the answer to that?" He asked quietly, setting the bowl down on the table.

"Yes." She answered firmly as he tossed his napkin onto the table as well.

"I fight so I won't drink."

"Won't drink? Why would you want to drink? You've been in recovery, that doesn't make sense. I mean, I know you said you do every once in a while, but...I'm sorry, you just confused the hell out of me."

"Charleigh, there's no way around this one, okay? I'm just going to say what I need to say, and we'll leave it for what it is. I fight so I won't drink, and I drink so I won't think about you and how badly I fucked things up between us. It's a never-ending battle and as we sit here now, I'm terrified of what I'm going to do now that they won't allow me to fight. I want a drink more than I ever have before, and I'm not talking a few beers—no, I mean full-out drinking, the type that would land my ass back in the fucking hospital. Not just for the pain, or the buzz. I want it because ever since I saw the fucking video, I can't get the images of you and I together out of my mind. Seeing that...us...brought shit back for me and I can't...I don't...fuck. Look, I'm not trying to start anything or make this even more difficult than it already is, okay? That's not why I'm telling you this, but you asked and I want to be honest with you."

"I appreciate your honesty, Declan, I do and while I rather not address the elephant in the room—at least not now—I can tell you I haven't been able to stop thinking about you either. You aren't alone in that because it brought everything back for me too," she answered, swallowing thickly as Declan stared, seemingly looking straight into her soul.

And just like that, her world started to tilt. The power he held over her wasn't fair. To stop her world from completely falling on its ass, she hurried into a question. "Would AA meetings not help you with the urges to drink?" She questioned, daring to move a little closer.

"They would, but every time I step foot there, I'm reminded of how I met Lisa and it's something I don't want to feel or be reminded of right now."

"What if I offered to go with you?" She asked so quietly he wasn't sure if he'd heard her correctly.

"What? Why would you do that?" He questioned, running a hand through his hair.

"Because I want to. Friends support friends, and I really think despite all that's happened, you could use one right now. I also don't want you to do something you'll regret and slip up."

Declan concentrated his eyes on her intensely, as he gently took her hand and tugged, urging her to come closer. "Are we?" He asked.

Charleigh knew exactly what he was asking and felt her stomach turn and rise to her throat. She nervously swallowed and—feeling a little intimidated—softly placed her hand timidly against his chest, attempting to keep him at bay.

"Dec, what you're asking...I can't answer for you...not now. You aren't a free man, and you know my stance on the issue. Plus, I just..."

"The divorce was filed last week," he told her, the baritone in his voice rumbling in his chest. "So, technically, I am a free man, in all the ways that count," he answered, bringing his hand up to lightly caress her cheek.

"You broke me once before," she told him, willing her tears away as she shifted her eyes downward, "and I hardly made it out of the darkness that was my life at the time. I completely lost myself to what you put me through. I can't just jump into something with you, Declan. I can't risk the chance of you repeating history because I won't survive losing you a second time."

"We're doing this now?" He stated non-rhetorically, his voice louder.

"No, we are most definitely not doing this right now, Dec. You don't need the added stress to what you're already dealing with in regards to the crash and to Lisa."

"Leave her out of this, Charleigh. Don't even mention her name. I don't want to hear it. We're talking about you and me."

"I'm not ready to talk about us, Declan," she whispered. "I'm sorry, it's just me..."

"I'm not sure you'll ever be ready to face the past, Char, but you need to know that I would never do anything to hurt you again. I shouldn't...dammit, I didn't want to do it the first time, and I've punished myself every day since."

The hair on the back of her neck stood up and her back went straight as a sinking feeling bottomed out in her stomach.

"What do you mean you didn't 'want' to? You very clearly wanted to that night, Declan; I don't think you could have made it anymore clearer, or gone any deeper than you did." she spat bitterly, knowing full well he'd caught on to her insination.

Declan closed his eyes and bit his tongue to keep from exploding. As bad as things had appeared on that specific night, Charleigh really had no idea of the pain and hurt behind his actions. She didn't know what it had done to him on the inside, what he'd done to the other woman involved. His actions and words spoken had left him abashed. Everything about their last three months together had been completely unlike him and although he knew she was aware something wasn't right with him, telling her the truth of what had caused the change in his behavior would have inevitably ruined her. So, he'd chosen to be a martyr and sacrifice his life, his happiness to spare her the hurt. But as anyone could imagine, it hadn't worked out that way. She'd been ruined regardless and by the time he'd realized that important fact, he couldn't turn back. Charleigh would never have believed him and if he was being honest, he had been a coward. He couldn't bring himself to admit to what he'd done, to how he'd wronged her and why. Not back then, but he was ready now.

"There's so much you don't know, Charleigh, and as bad as it sounds, I'm terrified for you to learn the truth of it all, just as I was then. No, I didn't want to hurt you like that. I've never...shit, this never ends. You know what? I've already said more than I should have and if I keep going we're going to both wind up hurting each other more than we already have."

"More than you should have?" Charleigh scoffed, not believing he'd actually had the audacity to say such a thing. "You haven't said anything! I know NOTHING!" She shouted angrily, knowing that he didn't take lightly to being yelled at.

"Okay, fine, you want me to say something? You could start by asking your father," he snapped back, his voice raising only slightly.

She jumped back as if Declan had burned her. Their conversation had just taken a drastic turn that she wasn't prepared for and one she was completely uncomfortable with. The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife.

"Daddy? What's my father got to do with what happened between us, Declan?"

"Like I said, I didn't want to hurt you," He told her firmly, turning her face so that he could see her eyes. Charleigh drowned in the emotion his hazel eyes held for what seemed like hours as the conviction he'd spoken with told her he meant every word. He hadn't wanted to hurt her. But hearing him say those words, and then reliving the pain of what happened so many years ago didn't reconcile with each other and she had to say, she was honestly afraid of what she'd find out from her father.

"I came here to check on you and see how you were doing, not open up this can of fucking worms. Whether you wanted to or not, you hurt me...deeper than anyone ever has, probably more than anyone ever will. I can't just throw everything I went through on the backburner and say let's give it a go...not without knowing the truth, and you won't give me that. I just don't want to fight anymore, and I'm tired of all the secrecy, Dec," she whispered emotionally. Declan pulled her ever closer, his breath brushing past her cheek as she gazed at him, tormented with the unknown.

"I know it's difficult to do right now as I haven't exactly made it easy in the past, but I need you to trust me, Charleigh...one last time. Please?" he pleaded, pressing his forehead to hers.

"I'm so confused right now," she whispered back, her hand shaking as she slowly brought it up to rest against his face, her thumb rubbing circles against his beard along his jaw. "So much of me wants you, wants me to throw caution to the wind and just be with you, but the other part of me is screaming its immoral, what we're doing is wrong, and history will inevitably repeat itself."

Declan pulled back just enough to lock eyes and affectionately ran a hand over her hair. "It won't, of that I can promise you. I was young and stupid, Charleigh. I made decisions and mistakes that I can't come back from, but I can try to right them."

"We've made a real mess of things haven't we?" She sheepishly stated, dropping her hand from his face to slide up and down the muscular bicep of his arm.

Declan lazily smirked. "Shit, that's one way to put it, but if the mistake we made fixes all the mess in between, then it was all worth it," he answered, smiling tenderly.

Unable to handle the awkwardness she felt and not sure she'd be able to restrain herself for much longer, Charleigh withdrew from him and moved to stand.

"Do you mind if I see it?" She questioned innocently.

His eyebrow rose comically high as he looked from her, to the ever-growing situation in his lap, then around the room. "Uh...you're going to have to be more specific, princess. See what exactly?"

He hardly had time to blink before a bed pillow flew at his head.

"The road rash, asshole!" She shouted, laughing as he winked at her jokingly.

"Yeah, but I'm going to need you to help me in taking my shirt off, if you don't mind. It pulls on the scabbing if I stretch too much."

"When was the last time you cleaned it?"

"I need to clean it?" Charleigh's eyes widened in absurdity.

"I'm joking!" He exclaimed, guarding his face with his hands in preparation for a slap or some form of retaliation. "It was cleaned three days ago at the hospital. I haven't done it since because I can't exactly reach all areas."

"So you were going to what? Sit here and let the germs ferment?"

"No, smart ass. I was actually planning to call Clayton."

Charleigh's face twisted in disgust. "I'm never going to get that vision out of my head, thank you. My brother nursing your injuries...do I need to worry about you two?"

All color drained from his face as he shook his head at her. "You've got one hell of a sick, twisted side to you, you know that?"

"Hmmm, maybe, but you're the one that said it, now come on, lean forward for me," Charleigh said with a chuckle as Declan glared at her, slowly rising and moving to assist her in taking his shirt off. Her breath caught in her throat as she tossed his shirt aside. His torso, which she'd spent so many days on the ranch admiring, was marred with bruising and random cuts and scrapes. However, the road rash was much worse than what Renee had led her to believe. His entire left side was covered from the top of his shoulder, stretching down to where his jeans usually hung and expanding out to just about the middle of his back. His flesh almost looked as though someone had taken a cheese grater to sections of his back. She couldn't restrain herself, "His name."

He knew he was going to regret letting her see the damage, but now that she had, there was no undoing it. Declan quickly took her by the shoulders.

"DON'T." He told her firmly.

"Tell me his fucking name, Declan!"

"So you can do what? Hunt him down, take him out?"

"You're damn straight!" Charleigh affirmed.

"I'm not giving you his name. You'd just wind up hurt and then I'd go to prison for murder one," he barked, his brow furrowing in anger, and she knew he wasn't overexaggerating. He'd kill the man if so much as a hair on her head was touched. "This guy is no joke, Char. Think about it, how many guys can you honestly say bested me at that game? I don't want you getting involved."

"Fine, don't tell me, but I have my ways, Declan Kopus, and I will find out," she warned angrily, getting up and heading into the bathroom for first aid supplies, leaving Declan cursing to himself and shaking his head in frustration.

 ***~STA~***

Sometime later, Charleigh was just finishing up applying the bandages and wrap to Declan's wounds. They'd bickered back and forth for a while about her hunting down the monster responsible for the pain inflicted on Declan, but then Noah and Riley had called which brought on a much welcome change of subject. The kids had seemed to brighten his day a bit as they'd switched over to FaceTime and had talked with him while their mother tended to him, but due to the increasingly tedious task of cleaning out the wounds and the grimaces of pain Declan had begun to throw around, she'd eventually made them hang up.

"I could've handled it," he'd told her with a roll of his eyes to which she poked at a particularly sensitive spot on his torso, eliciting a grunt of pain.

"You may be the toughest man I know, but you're still human, Declan."

"They're upset with you for not bringing them to visit me. See? They like me more and you can't stand it," he joked, ribbing at her.

"You aren't telling me anything I don't know, okay?" She answered with a chuckle. "They like you more because you act like you're eight years old and let them get away with murder."

"Hey! I resent that! You weren't there when the damn chicken died! We were simply driving the four-wheeler back to the damn barn and the asshole ran right in front of it! They didn't have time to stop!"

"Okay, look, smart ass, you know that's not what I was referring to," Charleigh scolded him, trying desperately not to laugh. "I need time to think about things before I come back, Dec," she then told him, growing serious once more. "I don't want what's going on between us right now to be picked up on by the kids. Not yet," she told him softly, gently putting the pin in the wrap, holding it in place.

Declan's hand had slowly traced a path up her arm and into her hair, urging her face closer to his. He could feel her breathing picking up pace and her heart pounding a furious rhythm as she braced her palms against his chest, not allowing him to pull her any closer.

"What are you doing, Dec?"

"This," he answered gruffly, forcing her hands away with his free one and moved in closer, but just as his lips brushed against hers as nothing more than a whisper of a kiss, knocking sounded at the front door. "Are you fucking serious right now?" He growled, closing his eyes in frustration and dropped his hand from her hair.

"It's just Renee," Charleigh whispered, torn between wanting to get the hell out of there, never looking back and wanting to tell Renee to go to hell and let Declan continue what he had been about to do.

"Let her in. And Char?" He asked, frustration evident in his tone.

"Yeah?" She questioned, standing and backing away from the bed.

"Ask her to give us just a minute, okay?"

"Dec..."

"Please?"

Declan watched confusingly as Charleigh pulled her phone from her back pocket, never taking her eyes off of him.

"Renee? Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, I can't get to the door right now because I'm helping Declan with something. The spare key is in the drip plate of the cactus pot next to the swing on the porch. Let yourself in and I'll be out in a few minutes, okay?" Charleigh hung up her phone, setting it on his nightstand and then took a seat on the small space beside him at the edge of the mattress. "What is it, Dec?"

"Remember how I told you I hadn't cleaned the wounds in three days?"

She wasn't a fool, Charleigh knew exactly what he was about to ask and threw her hands up in protest.

"Nah nah nah nah...I dressed the wounds, Dec. I am not bathing you! And for you to ask now, after everything today...conniving bastard," she ranted, causing him to laugh.

"Will you shut up and listen for a minute? I was going to ask if you wouldn't mind helping me get into the bath and staying only long enough to help me out. I know it's awkward, believe me, but I can't exactly do it on my own with my knee for the time being, and well, to put it bluntly, its nothing you haven't seen before," he finished, flinching childishly.

"Really, Dec? You had to go there?" She asked him sternly, hands on her hips and an expression telling him she very clearly wasn't amused.

"WHAT?!" He exclaimed, eyes wide, throwing his hands up. "It's not like it isn't true! What? You want me to ask Renee instead? I'm sure that would go over just great with your brother!"

"No, but speaking of, since you're so infatuated with Clay's bedside manner, I figure you could just call him," she tried to keep her composure, she really did but the mortified expression he deadpanned her with brought her to tears of laughter.

"That's fucked up." He stated plainly. "That's just plain fucked up. How could you even...For Christ's sake woman, I'm only asking for help! It's not like I'm asking with the purpose of popping a feel!"

"Okay, okay, Declan, I'll help you!" She laughed. "One thing I keep forgetting to ask you though," she giggled, "did they ever give you any painkillers at the doc?"

"They did, but forget it, Charleigh," Declan answered seriously. "You know me. I don't touch that shit and never will. I don't care how much pain I'm in."

With a heavy sigh, she brought her hand to her forehead, feigning mock distress. "Such a stubborn jerk, what's a woman to do? Can I at least talk you into an advil or tylenol?"

"I guess," he told her, an exaggerated sigh slipping past his lips. "For the record, Darlin', I'm only taking them to appease you."

"Sure you are, Dec," she laughed, rising from the bed once again. "Don't run off now, I'll be right back."

"Funny." Declan answered, not amused by her humor.

Making her way out to the living room, Charleigh spotted Renee, eyes glued to her phone as she sat at the bar.

"Hey, sorry. Listen, it's going to be longer than I thought. You can head on home and I'll just take his truck back," Charleigh informed her then spun on her heel and began to walk away until Renee grabbed her arm.

"Don't be mad at me, please? After you told me the history between you two, I wanted to help try and fix things. I know it wasn't my place, Charleigh, but you two...y'all deserve to be happy, and I honestly believe that's with each other."

"Well you're right, it wasn't your place, Renee. Things are extremely stressful and awkward right now. No matter what you believe, the last thing we need is someone forcing us into doing something we aren't ready for. I told you our history earlier not because I felt you should know, or because you asked; I told you so that you could maybe understand why things were so hard and complicated. This isn't something that we're going to work out overnight."

"Okay," she sighed, "I'll back off. Can I ask what it is you're helping him with?"

Charleigh bit the inside of her lip before taking a deep breath. She really didn't want to tell her, but she honestly had nothing else.

"He can't really move around much with the condition his knee is in, so...he asked me if I would mind helping him get into the bath."

Renee's face twisted comically at Charleigh's words.

"You're telling me that talking is too complicated and hard, but helping him with a bath isn't? Explain that to me."

"I don't have the time, and it's really none of your business, no offense. I won't be long, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever, girl. In a few minutes...tonight...tomorrow morning, just be careful," she told her with a wink and a knowing smile before exiting the house.

Charleigh buried her face in her hands and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She was sure Declan had no idea how hard this would be for her. It had been difficult enough to not have kissed him earlier but now, now he expected her to help him into the bath tub. Meaning she was going to have to find a way to restrain herself around his naked form which was sure to be one hell of a sight to behold. She hadn't seen him in that way in more than a decade. He was no longer the lean, toned man she'd once shared her life with. Declan was now a man; He was solid muscle, not an ounce of fat to his body and looked as though he'd been chiseled out to perfection by Michaelangelo himself, and having no recollection of the night they spent together, the thought of him intrigued her. Charleigh was still waging war in her head with guilt over having slept with him. If only the circumstances had been different! Granted, they still needed to address what happened so long ago, but it wouldn't have been this complicated. Which brought her mind back around to the bomb he'd dropped earlier. What part did her father have to play in all of that years ago? If Clayton knew, why wouldn't he have told her? These were things that she desperately needed answered, and as much as she wished Declan would just man up and tell her, she tried telling herself he knew what he was doing by having her ask them, and urged herself to stay calm and just trust him. After all, she'd had no problem trusting him over the years—he was one of the few people she did trust—but when it came down to something like this, something revolving around the biggest heartbreak of her life and the one incident in which he'd been responsible for breaking her spirit, she struggled.

"Everything okay?" Declan's voice asked from directly behind her, startling her out of her thoughts and bringing her to wrapping her arms around herself.

"Y-yeah, everything's good...as good as it can be, I guess. What are you doing out of bed? I was going to help you, Dec," she scolded him, taking time to ignore the way his sweatpants just barely clung onto his hips.

"I'm good, Char, really. It's not like I'm setting out to run the next Boston Marathon or anything. And you look far from okay, sweetheart. I'd say it looks like someone ran over your cat. What gives? Did Renee say something to upset you?" He questioned, his voice dropping low. She knew what that meant. He would put Renee in her place if Charleigh said yes.

"No, it's not that. Just, don't worry about it, Declan. I'm fine," she told him firmly but completely unconvincing.

"If helping me is going to be too much on you, Charleigh, just fucking say it. I'm a big boy, I can handle it, okay?"

Charleigh closed her eyes and balled up her fists to keep from slapping him. "I told you I would help you, and I'm going to. Just because I don't feel comfortable telling you every thought that passes through my mind isn't a reason for you to get shitty with me, Declan. And for the record, everything is too much on me, so believe me, there's nothing you could do right now to make things any worse."

"You sure about that?" He asked as she came to sling his arm over her neck to help him to the bathroom. "Do you ever quit?" She said non-rhetorically. "Don't answer that," she told him right as he opened his mouth.

Once they made it into the bathroom, she helped him to lower himself down to sitting on the toilet while she started the water running in the bath. Declan watched her rush around getting everything ready, even going as far as to get him a change of clothes.

"You know, you never did tell me how you came to seeing the video," he told her casually. "Was it Cullen?"

"No actually," she answered tightly. "Lisa showed up at my house and had the video playing the second I opened the door. I saw all I needed to see before she slapped me. The kids were down at the barn so they weren't privy to it, but she gave me nothing I didn't deserve."

"Bullshit," he seethed. "She fucking hit you, and you're just now telling me?!"

"Declan, being with you is the reason she came after me and rightfully so. The whole fucking town most likely knows now. And it's not like you told me how you found out."

"Cullen's stupid ass showed up at the fight club one night and taunted me with it. Or at least he tried to before I smashed the fucker beneath my boot and threatened him once again. I would have killed him had Mando not come and broke us up."

"That's why you're asking? You wanted me to give you another reason to justify your actions against him? Declan, I don't give two shits what he does anymore. Or Lisa for that matter, I don't have time for it and there's enough on my plate as it is."

"Regardless of what or how you feel about us, you didn't deserve being slapped, Charleigh."

"She was within her rights, Dec," Charleigh murmured, walking back across the bathroom to just behind him as she pulled his hair back into a bun. "I can't judge her as I did before because I'm now just as guilty as her although the man she slept with wasn't married."

"No, but she was!" Declan snorted angrily, craning his head to glance at her over his shoulder. "Stop pinning everything on you and me, Char. God, why can't you admit to their wrong doings?" He quizzed.

Completely uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going, Charleigh tucked her head down and made to move back towards the tub. She didn't want him to see her broken, not again because the longer this conversation went on, the closer she came to exposing herself and showing him how she truly felt.

"Charleigh?" He reiterated when she remained silent, back turned and not a sound slipping past her lips.

"Declan, please," she pleaded with tremor in her voice, "Quit pushing."

"Not until you give me..."

Charleigh spun around, tears streaking as she looked at him. "Just stop it!" She shouted as Declan flinched.

As if he didn't feel like shit already, he'd read her body language and everything completely wrong, or he'd underestimated it, whichever way it was. He honestly hadn't meant to push her that far but at the same time, he was angry. Declan was annoyed and pissed off. He'd already given her two weeks—weeks which he'd needed as well—but now it was beginning to get ridiculous. They needed to air out all of this bullshit that had sat between them for so many years, needed to figure out exactly what it was they wanted, but every time he tried to broach the subject with her she either shut down, screamed at him, or changed the subject.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you," she said tiredly as she cut off the water.

"Yeah, well it wasn't the first time and it won't be the last. Look, maybe I have been pushing you a bit hard since you showed up, but dammit, Charleigh! You're frustrating the hell out of me! It's been two fucking weeks since we last spoke because you said you needed time to think—I did too—but we can't skirt around this forever. And the fact you'd rather place all blame on you and I and none on them just...it makes no sense and fucking hurts, Charleigh. I may have been in the wrong years ago, but I'm not that guy anymore and you seem to be pulling all your anger and hurt from what happened back then."

"We never should have slept together, Declan. If that hadn't happened, we wouldn't be where we are now. Everything was great between us, we were good, we'd gotten past..."

"We hadn't gotten past shit, Char, we just locked it away and threw away the key. It's always been there," Declan said quietly, rubbing a hand roughly over his face.

She studied him for just a minute. The way his head hung low, chin tucked to his chest between his shoulder blades, his hands clenching and unclenching with his frustration. His long thick eyelashes which she'd always been envious over curtained over his cheeks as his jaw flexed. It seemed they had come to the proverbial 'T' in the road. There were only two options; they work this out or they go their separate ways for good. They couldn't continue doing this to each other and he was right, she'd been reflecting back on how she'd felt so long ago there was no doubt a lot of her inner turmoil was being pulled from there. This was Declan for Christ's sake! Her feelings for him ran a hell of a lot deeper than he could ever know, and probably deeper than they should have given the way in which he'd hurt her.

In the years since, Declan had more than made up for that, proving himself to be a changed man. He had made it hard for her not to forgive and move through their past. And now, he sat in pain from some asshole's vicious attack on his life, while she stood here arguing with him when all he was trying to do was fix what was broken. He was taking the initiative which should've been taken years back. It was time, she decided, that she put on her big girl pants and throw caution to the wind. Charleigh knew the talk was inevitable, but if they didn't hash things out tonight, she'd keep on putting it off and putting it off until they eventually blew up on each other and that was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want to fight with him, but above all else, she didn't want to lose him because that was a very real possibility this go 'round.

Shoving her fears to the back of her mind as much as she possibly could, Charleigh pushed off the edge of the tub with her foot and slowly crossed the bathroom to where he sat on the toilet, head in his hands. She swallowed thickly as she lowered herself down to her knees before him, taking one of his hands in hers and pressing her other against the side of his face softly. "Declan, please, if we're going to work through anything, I'm going to need you to be completely honest with me. I have to know what my father or Clay have to do with us and what happened. I'll help you with your bath, but do you think you can bring yourself to..."

"Did you mean it?" He asked, his voice rough as his head remained down but his eyes opened to meet hers.

"What?"

"The video...did you mean it?" Declan asked again. Charleigh's throat constricted with anxiety, her stomach hit bottom, but she was going to have to just shove it down. She had feared he'd hear exactly what she already knew was on the video, and sure enough he had and now he was asking her about it. Lying would do nothing but cause more pain and there'd been more than enough lies told over the years.

"What does that matter? We were drunk, Dec, and..." She started but was cut off by his body shifting and his hands taking her face between his two large ones, fiercely looking her dead in the eyes.

"Just answer the damn question, Charleigh," he said lowly.

"I never stopped," she whispered as a lone tear leaked out and she shifted her eyes downward, bringing her chin to her chest.

Declan exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding then pulled her in for a tight embrace, burying his face in her hair. "Me either, darlin', although I'm sure you believe differently," he whispered against her ear. "I'll tell you what I can, Charleigh, I just pray to God what I have to say doesn't hurt you any more than you already are."

"What do you say we get you in the tub then, huh? You really do reek now that I've gotten a good whiff," she joked, shrinking back from with her face twisted up comically.

"Yeah, uh huh...keep it up, Princess and I just might yank your ass into the water with me," he shot back as she once again helped him to his feet. As she reached for his hand to sling his arm over her once more, Declan stopped and felt his breath catch in his throat at the shock of electricity which came from her touch. With their eyes locked intensely and her hand slowly making its way around his waist and up his back, he hooked a finger beneath her chin and craned his neck down, hesitating for a moment—her heated breath brushing against his lips as he gauged her reaction. Charleigh then took him by surprise and lifted to her toes, effectively closing the distance and pressed her lips softly against his. The coarseness of his beard against her lips and flesh was a new sensation, one she gladly welcomed, but the electrifying feeling of being connected to him once again made her body feel as though it was a live wire. With every flick of his tongue against hers, every move his hand made against her back, her nerves jarred her into nearly careening over the edge. He kissed her with an earth shattering ferocity she'd never get enough of. She couldn't back then and sure as hell couldn't now. It blew her mind she had no memory of them together, none but what the video provided. And knowing they were nowhere near ready for the incident in the loft to be repeated, she reluctantly withdrew from him, laying her head against his chest as they both struggled to regain their breath.

"I'm sorry, I-I couldn't hold off any longer. Dammit, Char..." Declan rasped, his breath still coming quickly, and a sexy smirk gracing his lips.

"Tell me about it," she breathed, fighting against everything in her not to kiss him again. "Come on, let's get you in the bath."

Charleigh watched as his face was suddenly tinged with a red hue and he nervously began to scratch at his beard.

"Can we, uh...can we wait a few minutes? Sorta have a..."

"Declan," Charleigh deadpanned, "We're grown adults, I think we can manage, and like you said, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Okay, yeah, somehow I think what I said changes when applied to this situation," he told her, eyes wide and forehead creasing.

"Would you rather me leave you here to get in the tub yourself? You wait any longer and your water is going to go cold."

"Yeah, darlin', I'm not so sure the cold water would be a bad thing right now."

"Oh my God, Declan, you stubborn son of a bitch, we are not having this conversation! I just ran you a hot bath—with epsom salts, mind you—to help soothe the pain in your knee since your macho ass won't take the meds you need! Now shut up, drop your drawers, and let me get you in that fucking bath tub!" Charleigh ranted, hands on her hips as she forced herself not to look at his 'situation'.

Declan took in her stance, her face reddened from the lack of oxygen through said rant, and the more than obvious way she was trying not to eyeball him. He tried not to laugh but failed miserably.

"You should see yourself right now," he laughed. When she arched a brow, as though he were challenging her, he held his hands up in surrender. "Fuck, okay okay! I'll get in now! Sheesh woman," he exclaimed, "However, I kind of need help removing said 'drawers', which by the way, don't exist," he whispered.

She narrowed her eyes at him in realization of what he'd just told her and slipped her thumbs beneath the waistband of his sweatpants, shoving them down to the floor in one swift motion. Charleigh's eyes never left his until the shine of something metal caught her eye...between his legs.

"What the fuck is that?!" She all but shouted and pointed.

"Uh, my dick, sweetheart," Declan answered sarcastically with a smirk before she slapped him upside his head.

"No shit! You fucking pierced your dick?!"

"Appears that way, doesn't it? Now, help me in, staring at me like that is giving him stage fright."

Charleigh couldn't help but laugh as she assisted him into the tub...and in trying her damnedest not to salivate over coming face to face with his well above average cock, she noticed the road rash all down his leg.

"When were you planning on telling me about the rash on your leg?"

"I just didn't think about it, sorry."

"Well I guess I'll tend to that when you get out."

"Wait!" Declan exclaimed stopping short of putting the first foot in, "What about the bandages? You gonna have to wrap me up all over again?"

"Nope, waterproof," she answered with a wink and then helped him the rest of the way in. "What in God's name possessed you to get pierced?" She questioned, genuinely curious as piercings were so not Declan, and at the same time, warred with herself on not reaching in and taking a more hands on approach.

"An old friend of mine by the name of Jack Daniels who just so happens to be very influential in regards to bar bets and doing stupid shit."

"Hmm," she hummed, biting at her bottom lip suggestively before snapping out of the dangerous fog she'd fallen into. "I'd ask if it hurt but even I'm not that naïve."

"Actually, Princess, I was so fucking blasted I don't remember. But I will tell you that the next morning, not only did I freak the fuck out, I moaned and groaned for the following two weeks before the pain finally subsided."

Laughing at the expressions upon his face, Charleigh shook her head in wonderment. "If it was that bad, why the hell did you keep it? Wouldn't it have been more beneficial and made more sense to take it out?"

"Yeah, one would think. I tried for like half a fucking second and cried like a bitch," he told her, laughing heartily as she smiled at him brilliantly. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a smile that bright upon her face.

Too bad it wouldn't last.

Once she was convinced he was comfortable, she started to walk out when he caught her hand.

"You aren't staying to keep me company?"

"Declan, there's only one thing I want to talk about right now," she told him softly.

"Stay, please?" He asked her, gently tugging on her hand and pulling her to sit on the step of the tub, surprised by Charleigh's lingering kiss on the way down.

The deafening silence seemed to go on forever as she watched him relax in the warm comfort the bath was providing. She'd started to play with the fingers of his right hand once she felt he'd dozed off, tracing over his callouses—proof of the years he'd spent working on the ranch—thinking of how much things had changed over the years.

"You know I was there?" The low tone of his voice startled her out of her reverie.

"There? What do you mean, Declan? Where?"

"I was there when he shot her. He didn't know. He'd looked for me everywhere, but I'd hidden in the crawlspace in the attic. If he'd found me, I wouldn't be here right now."

"Dec, why are we talking about this?" Charleigh whispered, genuinely concerned and afraid. He rarely spoke about his childhood, or his father in general as it was just too painful for him.

"I hated him, Charleigh. I hated what he stood for, I hated him for how he looked at me as though I was the reason his life was shit, and I hated him for leaving me without the love of my mother. Because of him, I was made to feel things a child should never feel...never see at eight years old. Because of him, I was forced to endure the ridicule and jokes people cracked from third grade all the way to high school. Didn't matter what I did, how much I exceled in academics and athletics, to everyone in this town, nothing would ever take away from the fact I'm Paul Kopus' son. This God forsaken town wouldn't let it go. Except you, the only one who never judged me. You loved me unconditionally, despite what people said. You and Clay both," Declan's head then raised and pained eyes locked with hers, "So imagine what it was like for me when your father pulled me aside one day and told me it would be a cold day in hell before he approved of someone like me, the son of a convicted murderer, drug feen, and abuser, with his daughter. Said I'd never be able to make you happy or give you the life you deserved, that I wasn't good enough for you. He told me my father was in my blood, and it was inevitable I'd repeat my father's atrocities. He threatened me, Charleigh. I either break your heart—make you hate me—or he'd see to it the chemo he'd been financing for my grandmother would cease, and he'd not only evict us from the home I'd once shared with my mother, he'd burn it to the fucking ground. He's the reason behind everything that happened and the sole reason I did what I did. I didn't want to hurt you, Charleigh, but my hand was forced."

Charleigh felt like the room was closing in on her. She was going into full on panic mode and there was no way to stop it. She slowly rose, narrowing her eyes at him, vitriol filling her mind, though she knew in her heart, he most likely spoke the truth.

"Bullshit," she hissed, "Daddy would have never done all those things, Declan. I'm his daughter! He knew how I felt about you and he loved you!"

"Yeah, you're his daughter! I was shit to him, Charleigh! You didn't see how he was when you weren't around. I have no fucking reason to lie to you! See, this? Your reaction? This is why I've been terrified of telling you all these fucking years! I knew, I knew you'd never believe me. Why do you think I told you to ask Clay?" He questioned, hurt and anger reflected back at her, tears filling his eyes.

"Why did you tell me to ask Clay?"

"Because he was there the night it all went down and he stood behind what the old man said. Yeah, we're good now but that's because I just gave up. I quit fighting. I couldn't take anymore. Everything they said, everything they did to me, had me do to us...I thought was best for you in the long run. My prick father is dead now but back then, I feared every day that he would be released on parole and come after you to get to me. It weighed heavy on me and you know how fucking sensitive I was to that shit back then, Charleigh. Everything they threw at me hit home and I'm telling you right now, I've never reached a lower point in my life. I stayed with you for months after, drinking myself into oblivion, trying to ready myself for the one thing I never wanted to do. I had to ready myself to hurt you, prepare to have you hate me as much as I would hate myself. Now, I fucking swear on all that's holy, I never...never meant for you to be the one to find me in the barn. Hell, I don't even remember anything from that night, except the look on your face. The hurt, the betrayal, all those things I saw in your eyes reflected everything your father accused me of inevitably doing, and it was a look that has haunted me every night in my dreams since. The way you looked at me that night was exactly what he'd wanted. I'd suspected someone else would see and then word would travel. None of it makes sense now, and if I could go back and do it all over again, I would, but I fucking can't. It was the biggest mistake of my life and there's nothing I can do..."

"Shut up," she ground out, wiping at her eyes, her hands trembling. "Just shut up, Declan. If you felt so fucking awful, why didn't you call me, text me? Why the fuck didn't you come home to me?!"

"After seeing what I'd done to you and having your father and brother breathing down my neck, you tell me! How was I supposed to?"

"I'm sorry, Declan, I-I can't do this. I need to see my brother."

He, in a panic, tried to use the strength of his arms to lift him from the tub so he could catch her but his hand slipped and he fell back, groaning in agony at his knee being jarred.

"Goddammit! Charleigh, wait!"

Regardless of how angry she was, how badly she now wanted to ram her fist down his throat, she wasn't heartless. She couldn't bring herself to leave him lying in the tub with water that was quickly chilling, just as she couldn't leave him to get out on his own and risk injuring his knee further.

"I'm only staying to help you finish, Declan. Don't say another fucking word. I don't want to hear it."

"Char, I only ask that you talk to Clayton, okay? That's all," he replied, closing his eyes and hanging his head as she rounded the tub, moving to kneel behind him.

"Lean your head back," she told him as she pulled the hairtie from his hair.

When it came time to finally help him out of the tub, she still hadn't spoken to him, and anytime he attempted to speak, she cut her eyes at him, letting him know it was better he didn't. As soon as he stepped out and wrapped the towel around his waist, Declan pulled her against him, despite her protests.

"I'm sorry, baby," he choked out into her ear over and over, each time resulting in her fighting a little harder until she finally relented and went lax, wrapping her arms around his lean waist.

"I know you are, Dec, that I do know, but you have to try and see things from my side. If everything you're telling me is true, then everyone I've ever cared about has lied to me, kept secrets about the darkest days of my life, and you've all held it in for years. I can't stay here, I need to go and talk to Clay because until someone backs up what you're telling me, I can't see you, I can't touch you, I can't be around you. Maybe not even then," she tearfully whispered as he began to crane his head down but she pushed against him, putting some distance. "Don't." She told him firmly before spinning on her heel and walking out, leaving him standing in the bathroom, eyes to the floor.

 ***~STA~***

Charleigh didn't have any tears left, the only emotion coursing through her veins was pissed off. She'd left the cabin nearly thirty minutes ago and had been lost in her head the moment she walked away from him. One would think that being in his truck, surrounded by the comforting scent of the man she loved would be enough to mellow out her anger, but instead, it accomplished the complete opposite. She'd been deceived for so long about the destruction of her relationship with Declan that just the smell of him pissed her off. It served as a reminder to what she'd missed for so many years. She honestly believed Declan, she could hear the truth in his voice, see it in his eyes, but this was something she needed to confront her family about. Her world had been flipped on its axis for the third time in her life and all of it fell on Declan and her family's shoulders.

As she neared the ranch, she plucked her phone from where it sat on the console and dialed Renee.

"Wow, didn't think I'd be hearing from you tonight," she answered, a smile in her voice.

"Not in the mood, Renee. Is Clay home?"

"He is, but he ran down to the barn to help the kids feed. Everything okay?"

"Not even fucking close." She muttered, hanging up the phone and giving the truck gas.

Nearly ten minutes later, she was pulling up in front of the barn and making her way inside when she saw the kids running towards the house. Clayton had obviously seen her drive up and picked up on her state of mind, that or he'd been warned. Either way, didn't matter.

"What happened?" The all too familiar voice of her brother called out to her from inside the barn, pitchfork in hand.

"You fucking tell me, Clay. Exactly when did you and Dad decide that my life was yours to command?" She spat, chest heaving in anger as she walked into the barn.

"I assume you've talked to Declan, then?"

"Yeah, I have."

Clayton's face went straight and then twisted with annoyance as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. "Fuck, what all did he tell you?" He questioned, chunking the pitchfork to the other side of the barn.

"I need to know, Clay; I need to hear it from you. What happened to Declan?"

"Shit, well you might want to sit down," he told her, wiping dirt and dust from his face in frustration as she continued to stand and leaned against the door of the feed room.

"I'm fine standing," she said flatly.

"Hey, before you come in here getting all pissy and start pointing fingers, you need to know I had fucking nothing to do with what happened, okay?"

"You didn't?" She asked, mocking confusion. "You were there, right?"

"Okay, apparently he's done a fine job of turning you against me before I've even said my peace," Clayton barked, throwing his hands up in the air.

"He hasn't turned me on anyone, and it wasn't his intention to do so. I asked him for the fucking truth, Clayton."

"Sorry, I'm sorry," he told her, scratching at a spot on his head before dropping to sit on a bale of hay. "I always knew you'd eventually find out. Hell, I warned him of it, but Dad had already gotten in his head and there was no way around it."

"So it's true?"

"That depends on what he told you, Sis," he replied.

Charleigh pushed off of the door and went to sit next to him.

"I want to hear it from you; What did Dad do?"

"The night before your twenty-fifth birthday, Declan came by because he needed to talk to Dad about what he'd gotten for you and also about something going on down at the Hutchins' farm over in Portland. You were out getting groceries I believe, but Dad had pulled him into his office while I was fixing me a sandwich in the kitchen or something of the like—it was so damn long ago. I honestly didn't think anything of it until I walked past and heard him going on about Declan's father and how he wasn't going to have you associated any longer with the son of a convicted murderer. Char, the things he'd said were awful, Declan didn't deserve any of what he gave him that night; it was things that he knew would cut right through him, preying on his biggest insecurities and shrinking him down to the dirt beneath his feet. Dad told him he'd only ever be good for minimum wage and working the ranch, but that you were out of his league. He threatened him, Sis. I've never heard or seen Dad so dark. He flat told him he'd quit helping out Declan's grandmother and then...the home they'd had? He threatened to burn it down if he didn't break your heart. He wanted you to hate him with every fiber of your being. I even heard Dad say in so many words that if he didn't back off, he'd make sure the authorities locked him away, that he could make it happen—he had his ways."

Charleigh's fists balled up on her lap, fingernails cutting into her skin. Declan had left that detail out. Her own father went as far as to say he'd set him up and have him put away? "If you were there and heard all of that, why in God's name didn't you step in and take up for him? Jesus, Clay, he was your best friend."

"He still is, but Sis, you've never seen Dad like that. And the look on Declan's face as he left, I'd never seen that man shed one tear before that night—Dad completely broke him. What happened that night is where the blame for the alcoholism lies, and what happened between you two months later, which by the way, even I wasn't sure of who Declan was becoming after all of that. I don't think he knew either."

"You said he went to talk to Dad about a gift? Clay, he never gave me anything. What was it?"

Charleigh watched as Clay's head ducked down briefly then rose back up, fixing her with a studious stare.

"I'm afraid giving it to you would cause more harm than anything, Sis," he whispered.

"Dammit, Clay! I've been lied to enough! That man was everything …"

"Shhh," Clay said in an attempt to try and calm her as he rose and pulled her with him. "He tried to throw it out in the fire pit back in the pasture, but I saw him and picked it up, thinking that all of this may happen someday. I don't think Declan even realizes I have it, just...don't say I didn't warn you."

Her eyes followed him in trepidation as he disappeared into the feed room, afraid of what was coming and trying to sort through her emotions which were running at an all-time high. Clanging and things falling echoed throughout the barn but when Clay re-emerged, he was holding a small, square box.

"No...Clay...no," she rambled, tears thickening her voice, her hands trembling violently. As he handed her the box, she noticed he had also teared up.

Charleigh eventually moved herself to open the box, revealing an absolutely beautiful princess-cut diamond ring, probably around three carats. She felt as though she couldn't breathe.

Declan was going to ask her to marry him. That was why he'd gone to talk to her father. She'd had everything she ever wanted in life right there at her fingertips. They'd all robbed her of what she wanted most in the world.

"I'm sorry, Sis," he told her, sniffling and holding his head between his hands. "Seeing you hurt like this? I never wanted this life for you. You were destined for better things than all this fucking devastation you've endured and being stuck in this God forsaken hell hole."

"You knew all this time," she whispered as though she were thinking aloud. "Despite the heartache and pain you witnessed me going through from losing him...you never once considered telling me the truth? Never once thought outing Dad to me, leaving me free to live my own life was what was best for me?"

The silence was deafening. "I know you said Declan wasn't himself and Dad had broken him, but the two of you acted independently. He chose to break my heart over being honest with me. You chose to hide in Dad's fucking shadow rather than be honest with me. Not a single person involved had what was truly best for me in mind, and I honestly don't think anyone cared," she ranted, tears beginning to fall once again.

When she rose, ring box in hand, and tore out of the barn, racing out toward the truck, Clay immediately went after her.

"Sis! Where are you going?!"

"I'm getting the fuck out of here, something I should've done years ago. Do me a favor and bring Declan his fucking truck back. Don't call me, don't follow me."

"Now Charleigh, hang on a damn minute! I know you're upset, I know you're hurt, but you're in no shape to be making rash decisions like that! You need to take a few and calm down, get your..."

"Clay, you have no fucking idea what sort of hell I truly went through! Imagine if Renee just suddenly removed herself from your life, no calls, texts, no explanations of what happened but then one day re-emerges with a new man on her arm and a ring on her finger," she told him, her chin quivering as she stood at the door of the truck. "Then learning the whole damn thing was based on lies and orchestrated by those you held the closest?"

"Look, I may never understand the gravity of the pain you felt and obviously still feel, but I did have to watch you, my baby sister hurt unlike anyone I'd ever seen, I watched you basically starve yourself and go into a depression that almost warranted having you committed for a while. Then I watched my best friend, someone like a brother to me, get knocked down as low as he could go—so fucking far he lost sense of who he fucking was. We almost completely lost him. You have no idea how many nights I spent with him in the hospital while doctors struggled with bringing him back after a bout of alcohol poisoning. You have no idea what that was like for me. So just because I wasn't the one who's heart was shattered doesn't mean I didn't go through my own fucking rough patch."

Charleigh's eyes darted everywhere, anywhere but at Clay. She hadn't known about all of the trips to the hospital, and while she wanted to blow up about it only being more secrets they'd kept from her, she remained silent. Her brother had not only confirmed for her what Declan had confessed, but he'd also more or less put her in her place because it made her realize that while he and Declan had kept everything from her, they'd also each endured their own form of hell. It wasn't only about her. These realizations didn't take away from the fact that she needed to get her and the kids the hell out of there, and she needed to do it quick. She couldn't stand being there, working under her father's thumb anymore.

"You still sat back silently and watched it happen. At any given time, you could have told me what was going on. I'm still leaving, Clay. When the prick calls for the weekly numbers, you can tell him I quit."

"Quit?! That's going a bit far isn't it?" Clayton exclaimed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"No, I don't think so. I've given my life to helping him and working for him, doing all the dirty work while he galivants around the world doing God knows what, or who. Knowing what I know now, if someone had let me know back then, I would have told Declan to take me away from here. I never would have fucking stayed. I'm done with him. How he can call himself a father and do the things he's done to me...Clayton, I just...give me time, please. I'm not saying I'll be gone forever, but I need to get out of here."

"What about the kids, Charleigh? This is the only home they've ever known. And Declan...not seein

g him again will devastate them."

He'd brought up a valid point, one she was already more than aware of, and one she needed to decide on, but she couldn't do that here.

Charleigh then turned away from him and headed toward her house, he assumed to start packing bags. As soon as she was out of sight, he jumped in Declan's truck and gunned it out of the ranch. He needed to go get Declan and prayed to God he made it back in time before she left. He may not have been able to undo the past, but by God he would do everything in his power to try and make things right, and that all began with Declan stopping her from leaving.


	4. Chapter 4

Charleigh wasn't sure how much time had passed since she'd walked away from Clay, but since that moment, she hadn't managed to do much packing. When she'd initially walked in, she was struck by all of the hell she'd endured and began carelessly throwing things about, breaking things in a fit of rage. She felt as though everything in her life was falling apart. With the exception of Noah and Riley, nothing in her life had gone right since she lost Declan the first time.

Knowing what she knew now changed everything. While she finally had all of the pieces to the puzzle of what exactly had happened between them so long ago, her heart felt as though it were even more shattered than before. She understood why he did the things he had, how her father's words could have cut him down so low, but along with that knowledge came on a whole slew of other questions she now wanted answered. Declan had been right about one thing, this thing between them was never ending.

What hurt the most? How badly she wanted him now, how deeply she still loved him, and how she wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to trust him with her heart again.

The most difficult factor she had to consider was what removing him from her children's lives would possibly do to them. The turmoil between she and Declan wasn't her children's fault, and it wasn't fair for them to pay the price for their mistakes. And she knew it went without saying Declan would miss the kids as well. She had much to consider and stew over and while leaving wasn't an immediate, necessary action, Charleigh still needed to get away.

Once the sobs and tears had subsided enough, she pulled her phone and called Renee.

"Don't you dare, Leigh! Don't you ask me to bring you your babies!"

Charleigh was taken back by the emotional, strained voice of Renee when she answered.

"I won't...not today, at least. But what else am I supposed to do, Rae?! Put yourself in my position!"

"What would I do? I'd be hauling ass back to Declan's and demanding answers to the questions I just know are running through your mind, and before you tell me about how you can't trust him or about how they've lied to you for so long, the shit needs to stop right now. Not to be insensitive to what you went through, but it happened more than a decade ago and it's time everyone started acting like fucking adults and get past it. You should be making damn sure he knows just what he means to you or you're going to lose him for good. Life's too damn short for the two of you to keep up this charade any more. The kids are going to end up getting hurt if this keeps going, Charleigh. They're smarter than you give them credit for and pick up on a whole hell of a lot."

"Do NOT yell and bitch at me like you know what I'm feeling or am going through right now, Rae! I just found out on top of everything, my own brother has been keeping Declan's intentions to propose to me secret all these years. No one fucking cared enough to tell me anything, and Declan's included."

"You're right, I don't, but what I do know is you love that man and until you face that fact head on, you'll never be as happy as you truly deserve. And whether you want to accept it or not, he fucking loves you too, and he loves those beautiful kids of yours. Yeah, you've had a lot of shit happen along the way, but you can work through it. The one you should be focusing all of this anger on is your father. Not Clay—although he could have handled things better—and certainly not Declan."

Charleigh couldn't deny the truth in every word Renee spoke. She knew Clayton had probably gotten a hold of her and spilled, not that she cared because she would have found out anyway. The problem with the truth was trust. If Clay had hidden the ring and his knowledge of it from her, who was to say they weren't hiding even more?

"Rae, if Declan cared so much, why wouldn't he have told me about the ring earlier when he confessed to everything else? Why leave the most important part out?"

"I...I can't answer that, Leigh. If I had to guess, his plans for you were his number one reason for keeping everything locked down all these years. It takes balls to ask a man such as your father for your hand, but to be cut down in the way he was, his dreams dashed and being forced into things the way he was, it ruins a man, Charleigh—especially a proud man such as Declan. But instead of asking me, maybe you should ask him."

"Look, I'll get the kids sometime tomorrow. I just need tonight to get my head on straight, don't want this affecting them."

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere to be alone. Thanks for the talk."

"Leigh, come on, I didn't mean..."

Without another word, Charleigh hung up her phone and began throwing random snacks and drinks in a backpack, along with a bag of clothes she'd managed to throw together within minutes. Tonight, she needed to make a decision, one affecting the rest of her life, and with the battle her heart and mind were waging against each other, she wasn't sure she could even trust herself in making the right one.

 ***~STA~***

When Clayton finally arrived at the cabin, he hadn't bothered knocking. He barged right in, thanks to the spare key, and found Declan hobbling around the kitchen to plop down at the table with a bottle of whiskey that had yet to be opened.

"Don't even think about it, bro. That shit's what got your ass into this whole mess to begin with. You're needed, and it has to be now. No waiting."

Declan's eyes furiously fixed Clayton begrudgingly.

"Hey Dec, how you holding up man? Oh, I'm fucking great." Declan shot off sarcastically.

"Now's not the fucking time for jokes, Kopus. I need you to come with me."

Declan then looked from his leg to Clayton and back again. "I don't know if you just happened to forget or you don't give a shit, but I can't exactly get around on this damn thing."

"Charleigh just fucking quit on me and is talking about leaving town...and not temporarily either," Clayton shouted, slamming his palms down on the table.

" _She what?!_ " He questioned loudly, not believing she'd actually quit. "Jesus, Clay, what the hell did you say her?"

"I could ask you the same fucking thing, you know. She approached me in the barn, pissed and all emotional, demanding I tell her everything."

"And did you?"

"Yeah, she knows, okay? But don't let it go to your head because she's hurt, angry, and apparently not thinking clearly if she's talking about leaving town."

"What do you expect me to do about it, Clayton?! I told her everything, man, told her how I feel...fucking did it all, and you know what? She walked out on me and said she couldn't do it."

"So that's it?" Clayton scoffed, disgusted by Declan's reaction. "You're giving up on her, just like that? Did you learn fucking nothing from the past?! You just let her go as though she meant shit to you, and now you're actually willing to do it all over again? Do you even understand where the hurt in her lies? Because I'll tell you right now; you fucking bailed on her, you didn't fight for her, you didn't call her...you completely ghosted her, Declan. Why do you think she's having such a hard time in regard to fixing things with you now? I don't need to ask because I already know the answer. She's terrified of having her heart broken again, terrified of you just abandoning her."

"Fuck you, Clayton. You can stand there all fucking righteous as though you're acting in her best interest but you know better than anyone else the circumstances surrounding the collapse of our relationship. I wanted to crawl back to her each and every day for months on end. Anytime I mentioned it, what did you do? You were too fucking afraid of what your daddy would do to you so you made sure to remind me of his threats. You...you were part of the problem and now you actually want to throw it back at me? I don't think so."

"Look, I know I was an asshole back then, I know that! But I'm trying to tell you what's really going on in her head, telling you that only one who could possibly stop her from leaving is YOU. My sister fucking wants and needs you, Declan, so if you care about her at all—which I know you do—you'll push the pain and everything aside, get off your ass, and come with me."

"And what if it's not enough?!" Declan shouted, struggling to bring himself to a standing position.

"Then at least you can say you did all you could. Wouldn't that be a better message to send her than doing nothing at all?"

"You're one hell of a pushy son of a bitch when you want to be, you know that?" Declan bit out as his jaw flexed from the pain.

"I am when it comes to family, and right now, two of you fuckers are about two fuck ups away from sending me into cardiac arrest."

Declan couldn't help but laugh as he slung his arm over Clayton's shoulder and had him help him out of the cabin.

Once they'd started back on the road, Declan had begun to feel the nerves creep in. Even now, her father's threats got to him, and knowing he was on his way to go and get back what was originally him, the fear of retaliation clouded his mind.

"Hey, man, you good over there? You look like you're going to throw up," Clayton told him, observing the unhealthy shade of white Declan's face had taken on.

"I'm good, I am. I want Charleigh back, I think you've always known that, but shit is going to get a whole lot messier when your asshole dad comes back around and catches wind of it—assuming I stop her."

"Believe me, she's not going to go anywhere when you show up and she sees you aren't letting her go without a fight. As for the old man, fuck him. All of us will take him on if we have to, but dude, you're grown adults now. He has no power or control over you. Hell, you weren't even there for it, but Jaxson got ripped apart almost worse than you did when Dad caught wind of her being pregnant. Plus, look at it this way—and I know you'll appreciate this—you're not small by any means. You're big, bad ass mother fucker that Dad wouldn't dare fuck with. He comes at you or tries anything, do him like you did Cullen at the barbecue."

Declan laughed heartily, "You telling me to assault your old man and break bones?"

"I'm not saying you have to go that far, but I'm not saying no either," Clayton told him, smiling mischievously. "

"Where are the kids?"

"Shit, I completely forgot to call Rae after I picked your ass up. I'd filled her in and she hung up on me, beyond pissed," Clay hissed, pulling his phone from his shirt pocket and dialing her number.

"Tell me you've got him in tow," Renee exclaimed through the line, tears in her voice.

"I do. Listen, he's worried about the kids. They still with you?"

"Yep. You can tell him they're fine, but he's going to reimburse me for the damage Noah's done to my flower garden with his blasted tomahawk he made for him."

The laugh that burst from Declan's chest filled the truck. That had to have been one of the best things he'd heard all day.

"You could have told me I was on speaker, ass hat. Hey Dec, listen up," she started but was interrupted by Clayton.

"Babe, don't. I've already laid into him as I'm sure you laid into Charleigh. We don't really need to do it all over again. Just...I'm taking him to her and the rest we need to leave up to them okay? This is their life."

Declan huffed and snorted. "You two-faced bitch, apparently you and I heard completely different conversations when you picked my ass up."

"Do you know where she is, Rae?"

"I haven't the slightest clue. She said she was leaving and needed to be alone for the night, then hung up on me."

"Fuck," Declan cursed, burying his face in his hands, feeling panic start to set in.

"We're going to find her, Kopus," Clayton reassured him, gunning the engine.

"Declan, can I give you a word of advice?"

"Renee, now's not the time, okay?" Declan told her, tremor in his voice.

"All I'm saying is if there is anything the two of you are keeping from her, anything you haven't told her, the time to do it is now because she's had it. I don't think either of you fully comprehend the damage you've done by lying for so long. On the bright side, Declan, she told me she'd be coming to pick up the kiddos sometime tomorrow. On the off-chance you guys don't find her tonight, you can stay with us. The kids have been asking about you since they learned you were hurt."

"Well, you can let both of the rascals know I love them and if I don't see them today, I'll be there tomorrow, okay?" Declan answered, his heart warming. Noah and Riley had become almost as big a part of his life as Charleigh was and losing all three would end him. There was no way around it. He had to fix things between them and now because leaving things broken as they were was no longer an option.

As Clayton drove Declan's truck up to the barn, Declan stopped him.

"Her car is still here, go to the house."

"That may be, but when I left, Winchester's halter wasn't hanging on the post," Clayton pointed out.

"Shit, is he in his stall?" Declan asked aloud, throwing open the door of the truck and climbing out, wincing and closing his eyes as he swallowed the pain of putting weight down on his leg.

"Stay here and I'll check."

Clayton ran to check and when he reappeared at the opening of the barn, he shook his head. "All of his tack is gone as well. She's still here somewhere."

Declan hobbled his way over to Clayton. "Fuck, that's what I was afraid of. I know where she's going and it'll be dark before she gets there. Saddle up Beast for me, would ya? If I'm going to fix things, I need to get a move on it and the only way to get to her is by horseback."

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" Clayton said, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline. "You've got a bum leg, Kopus. Getting on and off that monster is going to be hell on you, if not cause even more damage."

"I don't care what it does to me, I don't think there's any pain bad enough to keep me from going after her right now."

"And to think you fought me in coming..."

"Clay, man, it wasn't that I didn't want to stop her from leaving, okay? It's more that I'm afraid of the rejection. She hasn't exactly been forgiving lately, not that I can blame her—we just decimated whatever peace she and I had made."

"Brother, you aren't seeing the bigger picture here. Yeah, we may have kept this from her for years, and lied about fucking everything—and I can understand her anger in that—but telling her the truth I promise you completely changed things for her. She now knows you didn't just tire of her and find another place to stick your dick."

Declan narrowed his eyes. "Wow, you aren't going to sugar coat anything are you?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Clayton answered back, then shook his head. "Nevermind. Yeah I did, I meant it, but it's the truth, man. And I have got to quit listening to Rae, she's the one that's telling me all this shit."

"Well, if it's coming from her then it's most likely true. Go get my damn horse now, would ya? I wasn't kidding about it being dark before she makes it to the cave and I don't want her out there alone."

Clayton simply grimaced and clapped him on the shoulder before heading back into the barn and saddling up the horse that only Declan was stupid enough to ride. Beast was a huge black Friesian with a wild streak and no restraint. Declan had broken him in, and soon after Clayton took a spin on him, they realized that Declan was also the only one capable of riding him. He had both size and strength. But Clayton had to admit, he was more than a little weary of putting him on the monster while injured because if Declan happened to be thrown, he'd be in the hospital for more than just a sprained, out of whack leg.

While Clayton was preoccupied with getting the Beast ready, Declan pulled his phone from his pants and dialed Charleigh, cursing when it went straight to voicemail. He didn't bother leaving a message as he knew then she'd turned her phone off and wouldn't have received it anyways.

He hadn't been prepared to deal with anything like this tonight; definitely didn't think Charleigh would leave, and due to that was in no way dressed to be heading out into the mountains on horseback. He still wore his favorite pair of loose sweats Charleigh had put him in earlier, an old, tattered, sleeveless Guns N' Roses t-shirt that gaped open on the sides, exposing his bare torso and a pair of flip-flops. Yeah..he was prepared all right.

Nearly an hour later, Declan having nearly blacked out twice from pain already, found himself making his way up through the deep valleys of the mountains, searching for the cave he had once frequented with her back in the day. It was a place that unless you knew its exact location, you'd never find it. The cave itself was just about fifty feet up and deeply recessed on the backside of the largest mountain, it's entrance curtained by the scattering of trees which had grown in front of it years ago. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been out here so had it not been for Winchester hitched to the nail he'd put into the side of the mountain for her so long ago, he'd have completely passed it by. And praise Jesus for that because he had begun to think she'd gotten lost in the darkness as he hadn't crossed her path. Beast began to fight Declan's control as neither he nor Winchester had been gelded yet. Knowing if he fell, it was most likely going to put him out of commission for a while, Declan strong armed him as hard as he could, fighting to keep him stable enough for him to make a dismount.

Inside the cave, Charleigh sat before the fire she'd finally managed to spark with a blanket wrapped around her as she sipped at her wine that she'd brought along. She figured she might as well finish it while it was still good. Her mind was just one huge jumbled mess. Everything she'd learned in the past twenty-four hours had taken its toll, and completely annihilated what she'd believed for the past ten years. She just needed...she didn't know what she needed but the quiet, the solitude of being alone to decompress provided her a chance to breathe.

Reaching into her bag, she pulled the ring out, juggling the box in her hands then marveling at the beautiful shine to the diamond as thoughts of what could have been plagued her mind. But she was soon jarred out of her thoughts by a loud thud from outside, followed by painful groaning, coughing, and...no, it couldn't be, she thought as she rose to her feet and cautiously made her way to the front.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Charleigh shrieked in disbelief as she looked from the massive form of Beast haphazardly tied to the tree and Declan crumpled on the ground, clutching his ribs and muttering obscenities like there was no tomorrow. "Declan...what the hell were you thinking?!"

"Clearly I wasn't when I had Clay saddle up this stubborn ass," he hissed.

"You shouldn't have been riding period, you can hardly walk as it is," she chastised him, leaning down to wrap her arms around him and help him to his feet. "Where's your cane?" When he looked down, she heaved a sigh of frustration and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well, be that as it may, I wasn't about to let you and the kids leave town without putting up a damn fight. Were you even planning on saying goodbye?" He hissed through pain as she brought him into the cave and helped him to brace himself against the side closest to the fire.

"I knew the minute I saw your stupid ass that Clay and Rae had something to do with it," she bit out angrily.

"Hey, they simply told me what the hell was going on. I'm the one who came out here. Did you not want me informed about you skipping town?"

"You need to fucking chill, Declan because injured or not, I'll put your ass back on that bastard and send you packing. I wasn't skipping town tonight, I simply came out here to be alone, something I very clearly pointed out to Rae. And what does it matter?"

She was still angry, that much he could tell, but it wasn't the type of pissed where he worried about being nailed in the balls. No, this was hurt pissed.

"Okay, you're still pissed, but," he said, scratching behind his ear before she interjected.

"Oh Declan!" She exclaimed, "You have no clue what I feel right now, the shit I have going through my mind...and here!" She spat, tossing him a single shot of Jack that she'd happened to bring with her. "You need it for the pain right now."

"Before I take this, how much have you had already? Alcohol has caused enough complications between us and I'm not about to consent to more," he mumbled, holding the small bottle and cocking his brow at her.

"I've had a glass of wine and a few shots," she told him quietly.

"No more. I know it helps, Charleigh, believe me. All the pain in your heart, all the confusion in your head, it all disappears, but its only temporary. The alcohol is and always has been like poison between you and I. Nothing good has ever come from it and I don't want to fuck us up this time."

"How convenient of you to say that now. Where was this wisdom when you left me? When you tore my heart out without a second thought?"

"Really? We're going there again? You think what your father forced on me was easy?! That I didn't care, that I didn't love you...is that truly what you believe?!" He told her angrily, his voice rising and bouncing off the walls of the cave.

"You left me no other choice!" She screamed, a sob caught in her throat. "What else am I supposed to think, Declan? You didn't care about me enough to fight against him, to fight for me. Whether you wanted to be with me or not, you should have just manned up and fucking told me the truth. But no, you didn't send a message, you didn't call, hell...you wouldn't even acknowledge me in public. Do you have any idea what that does to someone?! Any idea what it feels like to lose everything you live for and then in the same process be treated as though you never existed at all?"

"Do I know how it feels? Are you serious right now? After everything we've hashed out today, you still ask me that?" He questioned, not believing they were going 'round this again, only now, he was in no mood to be gentle about it. "FUCK YES I know how it feels! You were EVERYTHING to me, Charleigh, I LOVED YOU more than I've ever loved anyone or anything, and he...goddammit, he left me NO choice!" Declan bellowed, as Charleigh flinched and stumbled backwards, his voice cracking under the emotion as tears stung at his eyes. He couldn't be bothered to care. "My Grandmother, next to you, was all I had left! Using her against me the way he did, what the fuck did you expect me to do?! I owed her my life because had it not have been for her, I'd have been put in the system and wound up God knows where. Ignoring his threats and allowing him to stop her chemo would have been like killing her myself. And that wasn't even the half of what he did to me! I was threatened of being locked away on drug charges that he apparently was going to set up! I let him get to me, okay? I'll openly admit that, but for you to say that I don't know how it feels, that I didn't care about you and wasn't happy...you..."

Declan felt himself slide down the wall to sit, putting his head between his knees for a moment while he let his emotions take over him, wracking his body with heart-wrenching sobs. "Char, there aren't words to adequately tell you what losing you, hurting you that way, did to me. I drank myself into oblivion night after night, just to make the voices and thoughts in my head stop. For fuck's sake, I actually died twice, as in my heart stopped and doctors had to bring me back," he exclaimed, as she sucked in an audible breath, tears still streaking down her face. "You ask me why I didn't call you, why I didn't text you...the truth is, I was drowning myself, Char. I needed you, to the point where as soon as I woke from the blackout the night before, I was plagued with the memories of you, I heard your voice...I even began hallucinating. Baby, I wanted to fucking die just so the pain would stop. It wasn't until Clayton talked me into trying AA and I met Lisa that I finally began to live again. And I'm not telling you that to hurt you, Char, but I couldn't continue living my life the way I had been. All I've ever wanted was you, but your father and your brother saw to it that would never happen," he shuddered with raw emotion as he rubbed his hand roughly over his face.

"If I'm all you ever wanted, why didn't you tell me about this?"

Having been silent for some time, hearing her broken voice took him off guard and as he looked at her, he felt as though he was losing his mind. There she stood, holding a black box, one he knew he'd done away with, one that haunted him to this day, and one that she was never supposed to find out about.

Declan wiped at his eyes a few times, swearing he was seeing things but then lost all composure when she opened the box, the ring he'd spent his savings on—which had been meant for college that he never attended—staring him in the face. She demanded why, tears streaming.

"Wh—where did you get that?" He gasped, reaching for it.

"That's what you're focusing on? Where I got it doesn't matter, Declan. Why? Why wouldn't you tell me about this?! I would've moved heaven and earth to be with you, to be your wife, and you chose to keep me in the dark all this time. You did what you did and then reappeared with Lisa and a damned ring on your finger! All while I was left feeling unwanted, inadequate and like a failure! Seeing you and her, married, was a slap in the face! You had every opportunity to come clean with me and you didn't!"

"You're yelling at me about being with someone else after we broke up?! What about you and Jaxson?!"

"Do not go there, Declan. He and I happened well after you were married and the only reason I slept with him was because I wanted to hurt you the way you hurt me," Charleigh ground out, twisting her arm out of his grip. "I wanted you to feel the pain of no longer being relevant...but as the way my life goes, that too blew up in my face."

Declan, who had struggled but managed to come to a standing position during her rant, quickly took her by the arm and pulled her against him roughly, his hand tight around her arm. "Let's get one thing straight: since the day I met you, there has never been a time where I could say I didn't want you. I loved you with every fiber of my being, Charleigh, and dammit, I still do, I think more so now than I ever did. You never could have hurt me more than I hurt myself the moment I broke your heart and I'll spend forever making that up to you, though I know it'll never be enough. You've never failed me, it was I who failed you. You were the one joy in my life and the happiest I've ever been was with you, not Lisa, or anybody else. And the kids? I love those kids as though they were my own. I only wish I could say they were. Char, you've always been number one to me, baby...always. I'm just sorry that it took all of this to pull my head from my ass..."

He could have kept going but Charleigh had other plans. She thrust her hands deep into his hair, fisting it tightly at the sides of his head, and fused her mouth to his, thoroughly kissing him with a passion he hadn't felt in more than a decade. The sweet taste of her permeated his senses as she massaged his tongue with her own, pulling back to nip at the fullness of his bottom lip intermittently. As their embrace continued, Charleigh released his hair to wrap her arms around his neck, moaning into his kiss and fueling his desire which prompted him to palm her ass firmly, squeezing as he pulled her into him, every ridge of his hard, toned body felt against hers. It was when Charleigh became overzealous and splayed her hands against either side of his ribcage firmly, unable to get close enough that Declan painfully groaned, jerking his head down.

Charleigh withdrew just enough to check him over. "Dec?"

"I'm okay," he rushed out on a staggered breath. "I'm okay, just...maybe it's best we save our energy until my body gets put back together. Unfortunately, I'm kind of broken right now, baby," he told her, breathing heavily but taking a second to pull her closer once more and chastely kiss her again.

"I can't believe you rode that monster all the way out here," she chastised with a disapproving shake of the head.

"I had to, Charleigh. I wasn't going to lose you again. To lose you and the kids would be the end of me," he whispered to which she put her arms back around his neck and rose on her tip toes, looking him dead in the eye.

"I don't want to fight with you. I hated it then, and I hate it now."

"I don't want to fight either, sweetheart. Honestly, I think it was unavoidable, but we've needed to air out what really happened for far too long, and that's my fault. I should have just trusted you with the truth, but as I've said numerous times, I was young, stupid, and in a really vulnerable place mentally. I don't want to hurt you anymore—I never did."

Charleigh didn't think she'd ever tire of him looking at her like he was in that moment—as though she were the only woman in the world. Letting everything he'd said over the course of the day mull over in her head, she knew what her decision would be, she'd known what it was inevitably going to be from the beginning, only now, she wasn't afraid to say it.

"I'm sorry for the way my family treated you, for the pressure they put on your shoulders and the way they've tore apart our relationship. If only mom was around, none of that would have ever happened," she told him, growing misty eyed at the memory of her late mother who had succumbed to breast cancer when Charleigh had only been fifteen. "I want to thank you for opening up to me, I don't think you realize just how much knowing the truth means to me, how much peace its given my heart. Believing for so long the reason you abandoned me the way you did was because I wasn't giving you what you needed, that you didn't love and want me in the same way I did you has haunted me since the day it happened. As it was, even after you and I began speaking again, seeing you every day on the ranch, seeing you happy and in love and wanting what I knew I couldn't have, it ate at me, Declan. And Cullen? He only wore me down even further. My heart has withered, and it's fragile. I don't know what the future holds, but what I do know is that I want to be with you. I want to see what life has left to give us, and if it's too soon for you, I'll..."

"Hey," he gently interrupted, "It's not too soon. You have no idea how many times I wanted to call you when the fighting began with Lisa. How much I wanted to just say to hell with her and come clean with you. I was just so afraid of breaking your heart even further that anytime I came close, the reminder of the damage I'd already incurred reared its ugly head and I pussied out. I want to be with you, Char, if you'll have me and this time I'm promising you I won't let anyone come between us again. Nothing is worse than the pain that comes with losing you."

"I love you, Declan," she told him, kissing him softly, the intensity behind the sentiment shining in her eyes. Declan sniffled and gently brushed his hands against the sides of her face affectionately.

"I love you too, Charleigh. Always have," he finished nearly inaudibly as she smiled a watery smile at him and pulled him into a loving hug, letting the feeling of being close once again seep in. Despite the pain he was under, his arms tightened around her waist, praying this would be the last time any of the past reared its ugly head.

Sometime later, maybe an hour or so, Declan found himself sprawled out on the air mattress while Charleigh checked over his injuries. Her touch was light and soft, sending chills up his spine—among other things. It wasn't so much the road rash that caused pain at the moment, his ribs which he'd fallen on when he tumbled ass over elbows off of Beast, made it difficult to even breath because when he did it just right, sharp pains stabbed at his chest. His knee also had taken another hard hit and he was fairly certain that not only had his recovery time just been doubled, but he'd also increased his chances of needing surgery.

"Dec, you need ice on your knee and your ribs. I don't know what to do, I can't...no, I won't put you back on that horse."

"I can handle the pain, Charleigh, nothing new for me. We can take care of everything else in the morning, now quit prodding me and come here."

Charleigh playfully glared at him and slowly slid her body to lay alongside him, bracing herself up on her elbow as she gazed down at him. "What?" She asked.

"I'm sorry I yelled, I just...you know that's not me," he said to her softly, lifting a hand to brush his thumb against her bottom lip.

Charleigh kissed the pad of his thumb then held his hand tightly as she shook her head. "You don't need to apologize to me, Declan. I don't think either of us had ourselves in check, but I am thankful everything is out in the open now."

"I don't want to screw up and make the wrong assumptions about us, so what exactly does this mean? Are we going to try and give us another go?"

Unable to help herself, she leaned down to kiss him, lingering for just a moment. "As I told you before, I want to, Dec, but I need to be honest with you," she started until he cut her off.

"You're afraid I'm going to hurt you again. I know I've got my work cut out for me by way of earning your trust in regard to your heart, but I promise you, it's not going to happen again."

"That isn't what I was going to say," she murmured, "I am fearful of being hurt again, of losing you again, but that wasn't what I was thinking. I just...I don't want this going public, I don't want the kids finding out about us until the divorce is final. I want to be able to be with you and have nothing hanging over our heads."

"Not that I don't agree with you, but it'll be three or four months until the divorce is finalized, baby. I'm not sure I can promise keeping my hands off of you for that long," he told her straight-faced.

With a suggestive smirk, Charleigh shoved him back down. "I never said anything about hands off, Declan," she teased, gently pulling at his beard. "So, you think you can handle keeping things on the downlow for a bit?"

"Charleigh, if it means having a second chance with you, I'm down for anything. We do this your way, darlin'. I'm just along for the ride."

"Anything?" She questioned, a smile in her voice.

"Now wait a minute, woman. Anything reasonable in regard to us, our relationship. So whatever devious plan you're concocting in your head right now, the answer is no," Declan laughed.

"Oh come on, please? It's nothing bad, I swear!"

"What is it?" He questioned, skeptical of what she had in mind.

"Let me shave your beard."

"I thought you said nothing bad!?" He exclaimed. "Now you're hating on my beard?"

"Oh good grief, I'm not hating on the beard. I actually like it, but I haven't seen your face in so long..."

"You realize how weird that sounds?" Declan questioned non-rhetorically, cringing as he did so.

"Declan..." She whined hilariously, dropping her head down to rest against his chest.

"This isn't fair, you know? You twisted something I said and now I'm going to feel guilty if I say no."

"Please?"

"Oh, we're begging now? You really are devious, aren't you? How long have you been planning this out?"

"I haven't! Geez, forget it," she muttered in defeat.

"I have no problem with shaving, sweetheart, but I let you do so now...I'd have outlines of where my beard used to be; I work daily in the sun...the skin beneath hasn't seen light in years. Do you know how fucking ridiculous I'd look?"

"Can I at least trim it down? I'll leave hair, I promise."

"I'll wager a bet with you. You beat me in a round of axes and I'll let you shave me," he told her with a wink.

"Cheating already, I see," she responded wryly. "Okay, and if you win?"

"If I win then as soon as this is all over and we're free to be together, I get to take you and the kids on vacation."

"Ooohhh, vacation? What's that?" She joked sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Charleigh. After the past month we've had and all you've dealt with, you deserve to have some fun away from it all."

Charleigh then felt doubt rearing its ugly head. Despite what they'd been through in the last few weeks, everything she'd ever wanted in life was within reach, and the threat of someone or something ripping that away from her weighed heavy on her mind. She still felt guilt for having bedded Declan before he filed the divorce papers, but now with everything out in the open, she was more understanding on how it could've come about between them, especially with the alcohol added. If he truly loved her as much as she loved him, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, and quite honestly, it most likely would have wound up happening some way or another.

"Dec, can I ask you something without you freaking out on me?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he muttered under his breath. "Well since you put it so nicely, sure."

"If we're going to give things another go, I don't want any secrecy, any lies..."

"Hey," Declan said, taking her chin between his thumb and the knuckle of his index finger. "There's nothing else, Charleigh. I've told you everything there is to tell, I promise," he said, his eyes remaining locked on hers.

"What happens if a week or a month from now, Lisa calls you and wants you back? What if she wants to try and work things out?"

"I'd tell her she should have thought about that a year ago, before she stepped out on me," Declan answered unflinching. "Then I'd thank her because it brought you and I back together. Char," he started tenderly, "I'm not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever. Are there some things I'll miss? Of course there are, we were married for nine years, just as I know that there are things you'll miss about Jaxson, but I'm being given another chance with you and I'm not letting you slip through my fingers again." Declan then pressed a firm kiss to her forehead as she slipped her hand into the gaping hole of his shirt and along the bare flesh of his chest and stomach, lightly raking her nails against the smooth, warm expanse of his skin, careful of his injuries. He sucked in a sharp breath just as she firmly pressed her lips to his. His groan was swallowed by her kiss as he let his arm that he'd wrapped around her tighten possessively, his large hand clutching at the juncture of her ass and thigh, drawing it up to rest against his hardness. Charleigh then mewled as he broke their kiss to trail his tongue along her neck. The rough sensation of his beard raking against her skin sent a chill down her spine and brought goose-pimples to her flesh as an unmistakable tension began building elsewhere. Not wanting things to get too out of control, she moved her head away and caught him in a soft kiss, effectively slowing things down. Declan growled low in his throat, his hand gripping her thigh almost painfully from his struggle with restraint.

"God I've missed this," she breathed against him, her hips involuntarily thrusting up along his thigh, "I've missed you, Declan. I never thought I'd ever be able to do this again," she told him, finally lifting her eyes back upward, getting lost in the beautiful array of colors in his hazel eyes.

"To do what, baby?" He inquired, his voice rough with arousal.

"Lay in your arms, taste your kiss on my lips...I never thought I'd have you back," she answered, her eyes beginning to sting. Declan's brow furrowed as he pressed his finger against her lips, silencing her.

"Shhh, there's been enough tears for today, darlin'. And I never thought we'd find ourselves back here either, but I mean it, Charleigh, I'm not letting you go again...and woman, as much as I'm enjoying it, you're going to have to stop rubbing your leg on me, my restraint ain't that strong," he told her as she grinned cheekily, stilling her motions. "I know we joked around it earlier, but the more I think about it, about us and what we've been through, maybe holding off until the paperwork is finalized wouldn't be so bad."

Charleigh ceased to move as she lay gaping at him. "Seriously? You're joking, right?"

"No," he laughed. "I just think it would be good for us. Hell, it'll probably take at least that long for this damn rash and my leg to heal anyway."

"But D," she pouted, "I'm not sure my restraint's that strong. For Christ's sake, I had a stare down with..."

"Okay, we're stopping right there. Do not finish your sentence, woman. We'll play things by ear," he warned her with a smile, kissed her chastely, then threw his head back on his makeshift pillow of a bound blanket.

"Change of subject then, how's the pain?"

"I'm not dead yet, so it can't be that bad."

"Declan, I'm not entirely sure you shouldn't be a hospital."

"Don't, Charleigh. You know damn good and well I don't do hospitals. Besides, you keep taking care of me the way you did today and it'll heal up in no time."

"Yeah, I might be able to dress and clean your wounds, but I can't manage your pain, D, and I don't want to sit and watch you hurt like this. It's not okay with me."

"I told you I'll take advil or tylenol, but forget it, I'm not taking the pain meds."

"You are NOT your father, Declan. I know you, better than any of these other assholes that have drilled all this bullshit into your head."

"Sweetheart, I swear to you, I can handle it on my own. I know you don't see my father in me, you're the only one who never has and I love you even more for that, but I do. I used to not, but when my alcoholism was at its roughest, all I saw in the mirror staring back at me each and every day was him. Taking one solitary pill would have the same psychological effect on me. Believe me, I know taking the meds would make this shit a whole hell of a lot easier but I won't go down that road. My head is on straight, I'm in control of my life—most of the time anyway—and I'm not letting anything knock me down. To do what you're asking would."

"Okay, D. I'll leave it be, I just..."

Declan, having seen the desperation and anxiety in her eyes, braced his arm behind him, hissing as he struggled to move himself to a sitting position. Charleigh began to object but Declan's expression warned her not to as he gently tugged her over to straddle him.

"Declan, I'm hurting you," she suggested but he only shook his head and eskimo kissed her, brushing her hair back away from her face.

"If you were hurting me, I'd tell you, Charleigh. Am I in pain? Yes. Do I feel like I've been drug though a pit of broken glass and fucking beaten with a lead pipe? Pretty damn close, but it isn't unbearable. If it becomes too much, we'll go to the damn hospital, but I promise you, sweetheart, I'm okay."

Before she could respond, the sound of Declan's phone chimed, echoing off the walls of the cave.

"That's probably your brother," he said, sighing.

 _ **Tell me you found her—C** _

"Hmm, I don't know. What say you?" Declan flirted, pressing her to his chest and showing her the screen. Charleigh smirked sexily, hooking an arm around his good shoulder and gyrating her hips downward upon his lap as he narrowed his eyes in response.

"I'd say you found me all right," she grinned before climbing off of him and restoking the fire that had begun to dwindle.

The unexpected sound of rocks kicking about and the snort of a horse startled her and as she looked up, Charleigh laughed then cleared her throat.

"Hey, Cowboy, I think you've got company."

"What?" Declan asked in confusion as Beast moseyed over to where he sat on the air mattress, sniffing at Declan's head, his breaths ruffling his hair about. "Will you cut it out?!"

"Awww, I think he was worried about his daddy," Charleigh teased as Declan fixed her with a hard glare, desperately trying himself not to laugh.

"I ain't his damn daddy, woman," he shot back as Beast nudged his head rather roughly, knocking Declan off balance a bit.

She sat back and watched amorously as Declan sat, arguing with the beautiful Friesian. Each time the horse nudged him, Declan would smart off and Beast would do one of three things in response: snort, nudge him, or as he did just a second ago, completely knock Declan off kilter. How he'd ever managed to tame the monster was beyond her but he had. They really were the perfect match when she thought about it. They were both stubborn, built like a house, dominant, and ruggedly handsome—the latter applying more so to the man in the equation.

"Baby, tell me you have something I can feed him," Declan called out as Beast stunned them both and maneuvered himself to lay down directly behind him, resting his large head over on Declan's large shoulder. The upper lip of his muzzle teased at Declan's cheek.

"I take that back," Charleigh giggled. "I think he's apologizing."

"Right," he dead panned then turned to look at Beast, lightly scratching at his muzzle. "Well, you're not forgiven."

As if on cue, the horse snorted right then in his face. Declan's growl could be heard where Charleigh crouched over the fire, laughing hysterically.

"You asshole!" He shouted, shoving his head off of his shoulder to which Beast then took a chunk of Declan's hair in his mouth and jerked, eliciting a yelp of pain from him.

"Oh my God, Declan! You're arguing with a damn horse! Just leave him be, he's being calm and affectionate for once."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" He accused, jerking his head away and scowling. "Well, since you seem to be taking his damn side, why don't you come over here and give him affection, huh?"

"Um, because he won't let me near him," she answered meekly.

"Have you tried?"

"Yes, I've tried! He damn near bit me the last time then went apeshit in his stall!"

"Come here," Declan demanded, leaving no room for argument. "He won't do shit while I'm right here, baby."

"I don't know about that, D. He nearly snatched you bald just a second ago."

"Do you want to make friends with him or not?"

"Not if he's going to flip out and get possessive."

"Sweetheart, we're talking about a fucking horse," Declan laughed.

"Yes, I know. A fucking horse that you're actually having a fight with."

"And you call me stubborn?" He joked. Charleigh then huffed and slowly made her way to Declan, cautiously straddling him once more. A groan slipped past Declan's lips as he clutched her to him, and then proceeded to place a firm kiss to her lips. The shrill sound of Beast's neigh echoed around them as Charleigh withdrew from their kiss.

"Told you...he's jealous."

"Give me your hand, baby. He's not going to bite you."

"Dec..."

"Trust me," he breathed against her cheek, reaching down and taking her hand to gently place it upon Beast's muzzle.

At first he snorted, throwing his head to the side in defiance but then eventually pressed his nose against her palm, smelling. Declan was enamored with watching Charleigh's face, her reaction to finally petting and bonding with the beautiful stallion. The number one reason for her having stayed on the ranch all these years...horses. They were her weakness and seeing all of the emotions as they passed through her eyes filled his heart. This went on for several minutes before Charleigh finally relaxed and rested her forehead against Declan's.

"It's been a hell of a day, Dec. What do you say I get the sleeping bag spread out and we call it a night?"

"Mmm," he hummed, sliding his lips along her jawline. "And hold you in my arms? Hell yes."

 ***~STA~***

The next morning, things had become much worse for Declan. When Beast had woken him by nudging his head, he'd only slightly moved and let out a guttural moan and a string of profanity. His knee felt as though someone had put it in a vice and took to it with a sledgehammer, while his ribs made for difficult breathing, each breath like razor blades. The road rash set his skin on fire and it had only begun to heal. So when Charleigh woke to his groaning, and sharp breaths, she knew she needed to get him out of there and into a damn bed, somewhere she was more equipped to manage his pain. Being out there in the elements all night long and—while she couldn't regret what had transpired—she wished he hadn't gone. If he'd just stayed put, he wouldn't have hurt the way he did in the morning. He wouldn't have taken a massive fall off the monster Winchester now led behind them.

Against Declan's wishes, Charleigh had called Clayton to come out and meet them at the bottom of the mountain with the ATV, letting him know Declan had been injured even further. Clayton—much like Charleigh—had cursed and said he never should have been on that horse. And for her, getting his large form up on Winchester had nearly broken her heart. He was in an insurmountable amount of pain, so much so that she was going to have to enlist Clayton's help persuading him to either let her take him to the hospital or take the meds. As it was, he was slumped over, holding her at the waist and his head hanging over her shoulder, buried in her neck.

"You still with me, D?" Charleigh questioned worriedly as he hadn't made sound in the past ten minutes. Not a word passed his lips, but he winced and flexed his arm, pulling her tighter against him in the saddle.

"S-something's not right, baby," he gritted out.

"What's not right, Declan? You're starting to scare me."

"My knee. M-my ribs...I've never felt this much p-pain," Declan groaned.

"You need to go to the hospital, D."

"Char..."

"Please? For me?" She asked as she turned her head and softly kissed him, apparently bringing him back to life a bit because he returned her affections and then opened his eyes, bloodshot with the stress of the pain.

"Okay, baby, I'll go," he answered on a sharp intake of air. "But you're coming with me."

Just then, Charleigh spotted Clayton at the bottom of the mountain. It had become obvious to her from the things Declan had told her yesterday and the way Clay had reacted when she'd confronted him that he'd had more to do with keeping them apart than he was willing to admit. And while she wanted to tell him to go to hell, in his own way, she could see he was attempting to right everything their father had destroyed. Biting her tongue as they came up on the bottom, Clayton's eyes widened upon sight of Declan.

"Jesus, you weren't lying! What the hell happened?"

"The horse you saddled happened, Clay. He had no damn business riding last night."

"Can you walk, man?" Clay asked as Declan glowered down at him.

"No, he can't," Charleigh interjected, looking back at Declan pointedly. "He's letting me take him to the hospital."

"How the hell did you manage that? You have any idea how long I spent arguing with him?"

"I asked nicely," she replied to which Declan actually huffed out a laugh.

"Can I suggest something before you drive all the way out there?" Clayton inquired as he approached the horse on Declan's good side and extended his hand to help him down. Charleigh then hurriedly ran over to allow him to brace the rest of his weight on her shoulders. "Call the Dr. Higgins, let him know what's going on. I'm sure he'll make a house call. There's no way we can handle moving his gargantuan ass in and out of cars all day, and with the injury he has to his knee, cramped up in a vehicle is the last place he needs to be."

"Clay, he needs a damn x-ray," she told him as they slowly put him in the back of the ATV.

"Be that as it may, if he does then Higgins can send him over for a quick x-ray, rather than you having to stay there all hours of the night."

"Fine, you make the call, just help me get him home."

"Uh, sis? Declan? Where exactly is home?"

Charleigh, who had taken up sitting beside Declan in the back, took his hand firmly. "Home is with me, Clay. He's staying with me."

The look of confusion in Declan's eyes didn't go unnoticed by her either.

"But I-I thought you said..."

"I want to take care of you, Declan and there's no sense in you being all the way out there at the cabin. I'll talk to the kids about everything, okay? Maybe you can help?" She asked, completely oblivious to Clayton tying both Beast and Winchester to the back rails on the ATV and getting into gear.

"You sure, baby?"

Charleigh nodded in response and with her hand on the back of his neck, urged him to rest his head on her chest.

 ***~STA~***

That evening, Declan lay in the guest bedroom of Charleigh's home, three pillows stacked and stuffed beneath his newly casted leg as he awkwardly shuffled about, trying to get comfortable. There was a patellar fracture in his knee cap but thankfully it had only split into two pieces and—to the Doctor's amazement—the pieces hadn't moved out of place, which turned out to be his saving grace. On top of that, he'd managed to crack two ribs so the doctor had wrapped him snugly, as well as cleaned and applied fresh bandages to all of the road rash, stating that he was to change the bandage each morning and in three days keep them off to let it fully air out and heal.

Charleigh had left the room as soon as the casting began due to Declan's shouting in agony. So, when she'd come back, he'd taken her into his arms and held her for a while, assuring her once again he was okay. She'd also been overjoyed when he'd let her know he'd asked the doc for pain medication that was non-narcotic. While it wouldn't be as strong, it was ten times better than the Advil he'd been taking. He still didn't feel right in taking the script; he was doing it for her, but truth was, he was going to need it.

For the most part, Charleigh had spent the day cleaning and cooking a stew that she knew he liked, anticipating the kids returning home. Well, from what he could remember at least. The meds and toll the injuries had taken on his body came to a head and he knocked out for a few hours, sleeping. Granted, she had come to check on him frequently, helping him to the bathroom, fluffing his pillows, alternating heat and ice around his leg. And then of course there was the time she'd gone to check on him and hadn't made it out until thirty minutes later because he'd made the bold move placing his hand between her legs, rubbing his hand over her cloth-covered center. While it hadn't gone any further than that, they'd pretty much devoured each other immediately after.

"Hey, baby," Declan called out, still attempting to get comfortable.

"Yeah," Charleigh answered from what sounded like the bathroom.

"I need you," he replied as she suddenly appeared in the doorway. Almost as if she read his mind, she smiled and made her way over, moving things about and then pulled the hair-tie from his hair, letting it down, which released some of the tension in his head.

"Better?" She asked, kissing his forehead sweetly.

"Much," he answered. "You don't have to go to all this trouble cleaning and cooking for me, Char. Give yourself a break and relax, sit with me for a minute."

"Need I remind you that you didn't exactly play fair the last time I 'sat with you'?"

With a smile, Declan said, "Oh no, that's committed to memory, sweetheart, but I want to talk about what we're telling Noah and Riley. They'll be here any minute, right?"

"I don't know, Dec. Why, what's your take?"

"Clearly they're going to know something is up if you've been with me the past few days and I'm now living in the guest room, Charleigh. I don't want to lie to them."

"Me either, but...won't this be too soon after Cullen? As much as they love you, I don't want to set a bad example for my daughter, Dec."

"Did you just inadvertantly call yourself a..." Declan growled, squinting angrily. "I'm going to pretend I never heard that bullshit come from your mouth. And no, it isn't too soon. They fucking hated him, Char."

"How do you know?" She asked cautiously, knowing there was something she'd missed.

"Baby, they talk to me. When they first mentioned anything to me in regards to despising him, I asked them why and they said because you weren't happy and you cried all the time when he yelled at you. Those kids are smarter than hell, darlin' and they only want what's best for you. If you're unhappy, they're not happy."

A single solitary tear leaked from her eye as she shook her head and cupped her hand around the back of his neck, playing with a few strands of his hair. "You're right, D. They are smart...We'll tell them the truth because I can't remember a day since they were born where I've been happier than I am now."

Declan kissed her affectionately before grabbing the tv remote. "Good, now that we have that squared away, mind telling me how to work this damned thing?"


	5. Chapter 5

Charleigh was in the kitchen stirring the stew when a knocked sounded at her door. Peering out of the bay window behind her, she saw Noah and Riley bouncing beside Renee. She smiled widely, having missed her kiddos, and walked over to let them in, scooping them both up in a large, loving hug as soon as they came through the threshold.

"Did y'all have fun?"

"Yeah! Uncle Clay took us riding yesterday!" Riley boasted excitedly as Charleigh arched a brow at Renee, who at that time conveniently looked away.

"He did?"

"Yeah, he let me hold the reins and everything!"

"That's awesome, baby," she smiled and turned her attention to Noah who stood shuffling his feet quietly. "What's the matter, Noah?"

"When's Declan coming back? He said he'd come see us today."

"You know what? Let me go grab my phone and I'll call him, okay?" She whispered as she stood and quickly disappeared down the hall way and peering into the guest room, where Declan still sat flipping through channels. "Hey," she called to him quietly from the door frame to which he turned and smiled. "You ready for the kids to come in?"

"Oh, are they here?" He asked her, surprised by her question.

"Yeah, but I'm going to warn you, Noah is a little upset. I don't think Clayton or Rae were prepared for his attachment to you and I don't think we were either."

"Oh no, okay," he sighed shifting in his spot and wincing. "Before you go grab 'em, can you come help me? Everything moved out of place again."

Charleigh hurriedly resituated him, re-fluffing his pillows both behind his head and under his brace which was the hardest task as his leg had fallen off of the pillows completely. She knew the little pain he'd allowed to show was only a smidgeon of what he was really feeling and knew he was trying to cover it up for her benefit.

"D, it's okay to show me when you're hurting, all right? If you don't show me, how will I be able to manage it for you?"

"I don't want you crying anymore, Char, and I know you. If I let go and let the hell I'm in show, you'll get upset because you're..."

"Sensitive? Emotional?" She sneered sarcastically, hands on her hips. "Maybe I am but so are you at times. Now..." Before she could call the kids in, Declan gently took her wrist and pulled her to lean over him. Knowing what he wanted, she slowly closed in and took his lips in a brief and slow yet thorough kiss, whispering once she'd pulled back, "To be continued later. Kids asked about you the second they walked in." Declan then fixed her with a look of warning regarding pulling away from him, to which she responded. "I promise," she told him as she laughed and pulled his hair up out of his face.

Once she was satisfied with his level of comfort, she called out for the kids, hearing their feet echo down the hall.

"DECLAN!" Noah hollered upon sight of him in the bed, tears springing to the young boy's eyes as he looked from his mom and back to Declan.

"Be careful, Noah, he's not feeling too good, okay?" She instructed. Declan knew as well as she did how rambunctious he could be; that and he was a kid, they didn't think about things like that.

"Hey buddy," Declan told him in a sympathetic tone, surprising Charleigh as he picked him up, failing at masking the way it hurt for him to strain, and placed him on his lap, hugging him tightly to his chest. Riley then slowly crawled on the opposite side of the bed and sidled up beside him, Declan's arm wrapping around her tiny form as he kissed the tops of both their heads then looked back at Charleigh. She mouthed to him that she'd give him a minute with the kids as she turned to head out of the room, but not before he nodded and mouthed, "I love you." The enduring smile which graced her face warmed his heart as she reciprocated the sentiment and disappeared from sight.

"Noah, it's okay, buddy. I'm all right," Declan told him soothingly, as he rubbed at his back and coaxed his head off of his shoulder.

"Doesn't look like it," Noah sullenly answered, brushing his hand against his nose as he sniffled. "Looks like your whole body broke."

Declan couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, that's why you're not supposed to ride motorcycles without a jacket or helmet. Duh," Riley interjected, to which he mocked being offended.

"Oh really? And just how do you know I wasn't wearing a helmet or jacket?"

"Because silly, you banged your head and you have band-aids all over you."

"Okay, Ms. Know-It-All, you got me. What have you two been up to? Staying out of trouble?"

"I have," Riley announced proudly, "but he hasn't!" She accused, pointing the finger at Noah who shoved her back.

"Hey, don't touch your sister like that, you hear me?" Declan told him firmly. "You can get mad, but don't let me see you shove any girl again, okay? It's our job to protect them, bud, not hurt or ridicule," he scolded, earning a defeated look from Noah. It hadn't been the first time Declan had had to discipline the kids, but he knew they knew when he did, he only did it because he loved 'em. "Now, how about you tell me what kind of trouble you've been raising?"

"You'd have thought it was funny," Noah told him grinning, "I brought the tomahawk you made me to Aunt Rae's and chopped up all the vegetables in her garden. I redid her flower bed too. She got so mad at me that she started cursing about you and took it away from me."

Declan was hysterically laughing, clutching at the searing pain in his ribcage from the effort as Noah grew more and more animated with each word he spoke.

"We're gonna have to get it back from her so you can show me how much you improved," Declan told him once he'd caught his breath.

"She won't give it back. Says it's too dangerous and not a toy for kids."

"Then I guess I'll just have to make you a new one, huh?"

"Does that hurt?" Riley adorably asked, pointing at his leg.

"Yeah it hurts! That's why I can't get up and move around."

"What happened?" Noah questioned, curiously moving off of Declan's chest to look at it better.

"I broke my knee. It hurt really bad when I crashed my motorcycle, but last night I fell off of Beast and it broke."

"That's stupid! Why would you ride with a broken leg?" Riley exclaimed, wrinkling her nose in confusion, her green eyes shining with curiosity.

"Um, because I needed to find your momma and she was out in the mountains. That's why," he told her, laughing.

"She's right; that was stupid," Noah interjected which left Declan's mouth gaping open.

"So now you're ganging up on me? Just wait until I get back to working, you're both pulling doubles!" He joked as their eyes widened in fear. "Relax, I'm just playing. But really, that's what happened. I needed to tie him up and he wasn't listening, then I fell."

"We're not feeding him for a whole week, Riley," Noah said angrily.

Declan's shoulders began to shake with the force of his laughing that he could no longer control, despite what agony it caused. These kids were too much and he'd unfortunately rubbed off on them in the wrong ways.

*~STA~*

"Well, I'd ask how things are between you two, but judging from the smell of his cologne coming off of you and the fact he's now staying here with you, I'd say it went more than okay," Renee told her after Charleigh had returned to the living room and sat silently for a while.

"It did. I have him back," Charleigh told Renee, her voice cracking as she fought to keep the emotion at bay. "We're going to try again, Rae. Neither of us ever thought this would be a possibility, but we'd be stupid not to take the chance."

"See?" Renee said with a knowing smile, nudging her with her shoulder. "I told you it would be okay. You two love each other and your two kiddos, that's all that should matter. Everything else can be dealt with later. How's he doing anyway? Clay said he was in horrible shape this morning."

"He's just so physically broken. Had it just been the ribs, or just been the road rash, or just the knee, it wouldn't be as bad but no, it all hit him at once so all of the aches and discomfort are coming at him from everywhere simultaneously. Last night, we managed to get through because I honestly think our conversations took his mind off of it, but yeah, this morning was absolutely horrible. I almost called for a rescue flight because it was honestly that painful for him to move. Being out in the elements all night didn't help either."

"Well, putting him on that wild animal wasn't the brightest idea they've had, I can assure you."

"No, it wasn't, but I'll have you know, that 'wild animal' laid cozied up behind he and I last night, his head pressed to Declan's back."

"No way! You're serious?"

"Dead. They sat and argued like children for the longest time, hand to God, Rae, you should've seen it," Charleigh told her, laughing heartily.

"I'm happy for you, I really am. I think this will be good for all of you. But, good luck too because Declan is a hell of a lot of man to handle, you've got your hands full with that one," Renee told her, rolling her eyes and huffing out a breath.

"Don't I know it," Charleigh flatly answered. "Thankfully, I already know what comes with Declan and I know how to handle him. And it's all part of why I love him."

Renee smiled as they both went silent, hearing the sound of Declan laughing loudly with the kids. There was no telling what had been so funny but they were obviously having a time in the room with him.

"Are you guys going to tell them?"

"Yeah, I just hope they react to it okay."

Renee then looked her completely dumbfounded. "Tell me you don't seriously have doubts about them being okay with the idea of you with Declan of all people? You're hearing the same thing I am right? You watch the same interaction between them at the barn day in and day out, right?"

"Yeah, I know but they're kids, Rae. You never know what they're going to say or how they could react. Maybe they won't like the idea of him suddenly being with their mom. Plus, it'll probably confuse the hell out of them considering just a few weeks ago, he was married and living with Lisa and I was with Cullen."

"Charleigh, I am telling you now, those kids are going to be over the moon about you dating Declan. Not that this would happen anytime soon but hell, you could tell them y'all were getting married tomorrow and I think they'd still be fine."

"Okay, Rae, that's going a little far. This conversation is over, you hear me?"

"All right," Renee chuckled. "Think he'll care if I go back there and say hi?"

"Come on," Charleigh told her, rising from the couch and tugging her behind. "Probably best to make sure they haven't gotten up to trouble."

"Char, he's basically a vegetable right now, how's he going to do anything?"

"Apparently you haven't spent much time alone with Declan and my heathens. There's always trouble."

As they rounded the corner of the hall and came up on the guest room, Renee was the first to peer in and had to stifle her laughter with her hand over her mouth. When Charleigh moved to look in, her heart and ovaries felt like they'd explode. While there had been many moments over the years similar to the situation now, none could compare to the sight of Declan leaning back in bed, his hair divided into three sections and fastened into one bun at the top of his head and two ponytails jutting out at the sides, and a Barbie doll in hand as he improvised with Riley, even changing the pitch of his voice. Noah had scooted down and was obviously busy playing something on Declan's phone.

Unable to resist, Charleigh pulled her phone out and snapped a few pictures before getting it on video.

"Still have doubts?" Renee whispered into her ear to which Charleigh shook her head, while swallowing what laughter bubbled up.

"No, but I'm seriously beginning to question his fashion sense," she joked, right as Renee's resolve crumbled and she laughed loudly, alerting Declan to the fact he now had an audience and one was capturing it for all to see. Instead of hanging his head in shame, much to Charleigh's surprise, he turned his head to face them fully and even turned the Barbie around.

"Skipper, we've been caught. Who are these people?" He said aloud in a pitch that even he was surprised he'd hit. After receiving no response he glanced at Riley beside him, looking at him as if he'd grown a second head. "You're supposed to have my back here, kiddo," he mumbled.

"It's Momma and Aunt Rae," Riley stated, her expression twisting comically. "It was his idea!" She accused, pointing the finger at Declan which left him flabbergasted as he stumbled over his words, trying to find a way out of it.

"Pshhh! Girl please, this was all you," he playfully responded, snapping his fingers in her face.

"Okay, okay, I've seen enough, you two. For the love of all that's holy, Dec, please just stop talking," Charleigh laughed as she walked into the room and approached the bed, Renee beside her.

"I'd ask you how you are, but I think I got my answer," Renee snorted as he fixed her with a hard stare.

"Don't hate just because you can't be this cool," Declan responded childishly, sticking his tongue out at her.

"I think we're done playing, Declan," Riley told him, grabbing her dolls and running off to presumably put them up.

Charleigh arched her brow in question at Declan, a smile on her face.

"All right, how bad is it?" He asked desperately as soon as her little body had disappeared.

Flipping through the pictures, she turned her phone to show him and watched as he buried his face in his hands and laughed.

"Son of a bitch," he mumbled, then moved his eyes to Noah. "Hey man, why didn't you tell me how stupid I looked?"

"If the shoe fits, wear it, right?" Noah ribbed at him, sending Charleigh and Renee into another fit of laughter. This was how Declan had taught the kids to interact with him; always joking and jabbing at each other, and she'd have gotten on to them if it wasn't for the fact she knew when it came down to it, they respected and loved him and weren't being ugly.

"Okay, I see how it is. Char, will you get this out of my hair, please?"

"I don't know, Dec, it's kind of growing on me," she teased, smiling at him as Renee bribed Noah and Riley—who'd just walked back in—to follow her into the kitchen, giving Charleigh a minute with him.

"You could have helped at any time, you know?" He muttered as she took a seat beside him and began working the hair-ties out of his hair.

"Hey, you created the monsters inside, you get to deal with it," she answered with a smile. "That was the cutest thing I've seen in a while."

"Truthfully, she was pulling my hair up before I even had a chance to say no, not that I would have had she asked. But that little shit, I should have known he'd come back with something smart assed like that. I think I might have taught him too well."

As she pulled the last bun down, and ran her fingers through his hair, she pecked his lips sweetly.

"How're you feeling? Do you need anything?"

"Nah, I'm good for right now, baby. I could use something to eat however."

"Well dinner is just about done. And for the record, I wouldn't have the kids any other way, there's so much of you in Noah, Declan, it's crazy. He's just like you."

"Doesn't that terrify you?!" Declan exclaimed in horror, but she only laughed and shook her head.

"Never," she playfully growled, scrunching up her nose and kissed him once more before heading out of the room. "I'll be back with your soup. If you're up to it, I'd like to try and tell the kiddos after we eat."

"Sounds good."

"Hey, it okay for me to send Rae back here? She originally wanted to check on you but well..."

"Great, now she probably thinks I hit my head in the fall, too," he muttered. "Yeah, that's fine. She can come on back, but you best be listening for me, woman because if she overstays her welcome it's your name I'll be calling."

"Got it," she winked with a humorous smile before disappearing into the hallway.

*~STA~*

The sound of moaning and something shifting about beneath her woke Charleigh the following morning. She was completely surrounded by the warmth of Declan's body and the comforter. The last thing she remembered from the night before was watching a few rounds of Family Feud with him. She'd obviously fallen asleep and he hadn't bothered to wake her, not that she was complaining. They'd never gotten around to having the talk with the kids last night as Renee had stayed for a while and Declan had taken forever to finish off his soup, and by the time he had, Charleigh was rounding the kids up for baths and bed. She hadn't meant to fall asleep with him though.

Curious of what time it was, Charleigh grabbed Declan's phone from the bedside table and saw she had at least another hour before she needed to wake the kids for school. She took caution as she very slowly repositioned herself, snuggling into his side far enough to rest her head beneath his chin, and as she did so, his arm tightened around her waist.

"You're in so much trouble, little girl," Declan joked, his voice gritty with sleep.

"Yeah, and?" She questioned back, drawing invisible designs against his chest. "You should've woke me up," she answered, smiling.

"I know because now I'm not sure I'm letting you sleep anywhere else," he huffed as his hand traveled her back beneath her shirt.

"Looks like we have the same problem then," she told him, lifting only slightly to brush her lips against his in a good morning kiss. "As much as I don't want to get up, I need to put a pot of coffee on. Need anything?"

"One of my pills, with a glass of water if you don't mind. What time you have to bring the kids to school?" "In an hour and forty-five minutes. Why?"

"I'll go stir crazy sitting here all day, baby. You know me, I'm not one that can just sit and do nothing. I thought maybe I could just hang with you in the office all day. You handle legal shit and I'll take on everything else?"

"Dec, they wanted you immobile," Charleigh warned him.

"And I'm telling you that isn't going to happen. I'll put my leg up at the office if it'll make you happy, I just can't sit here."

"And I suppose you want to come along to drop them off?" She asked, already knowing the answer as Declan nodded. "Well, they'll both love that for sure. Okay, Dec; Let me get your meds and then I can help you into the shower."

"How am I supposed to do that with this damn thing on my leg?"

"I'd already asked him about showering as he was leaving and instead of us having to take this off and put you through hell each time we needed to put it back on, he stopped by and gave us a cast cover. Anyway, I'm going to go get you a glass of water, okay? Be right back," she said.

As she stood preparing the coffee maker, she struggled to get herself in check. Knowing that she now had Declan back—he was hers—everything which had transpired since their reunion had planted the seed of desire in her mind. Every time she was near him, any time he touched her, she became a live wire. She couldn't remember ever wanting anyone as badly as she wanted him, especially with flashes of their video dancing around her mind. Until he'd healed, her hands were tied. But dammit, the man was gorgeous and impossible to resist. Charleigh just needed to take a breath and keep herself under control, no matter how much she yearned to be one with him once more. For heaven's sake, she'd gone without for more than ten years, what was three more months? Oh, that's right, he wasn't available during that period!

Shaking the turmoil in her mind, she grabbed a bottle of water and brought it to Declan, helping him to shift his body to a sitting position before handing him the pill.

"You okay?" He asked, concern on his face.

"Yep, I'm good. I'm going to go get the water going. Need anything else or have anything in mind that would be easier for you to wear and move around in?"

"I, uh...I don't have anything but these here pants."

"Underwear?" She asked desperately.

"Baby, you dressed me yesterday, remember? I didn't have any on then either," he told her with a wink.

"Okay, the shower can wait. I can stop by the cabin after dropping the kids off and pick you up some clothes. Or would it be easier to go by your house?"

"No, don't go by my house," Declan said slightly louder than he meant to, then took her hand as he shifted his eyes to his lap. "All that'll do is start drama, Char, and I don't want to deal with her right now."

"If seeing her still hurts too much, Dec, I can go. The clothes in that house are yours and you need them."

"I can buy more clothes if need be, baby, and it's not because I'm still hurt—I mean I am, but only by the betrayal. And it's not because it hurts seeing her; Lisa has been more confrontational and argumentative than she's ever been with me since all of our shit became public knowledge, and I don't want you getting caught in the middle of it. Just you telling me that she fucking slapped you was bad enough. You did fight back, right? Tell me you..." He said, cocking a brow in her direction.

"I can't, Declan because at the time, she had me dead to rights. But I'm not opening up that can of worms again. We'll go get what you have at the cabin, and whatever you lack I can run to the store to pick up," she told him, leaving no room for argument, and started to pull away. His grip on her hand tightened, pulling her back to him.

"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you, and I don't want to get back into all of that shit again either. I just...I'm not happy with how things went down, that's all. I'll drop it, Char," Declan explained softly, bringing her hand to his lips.

"Let me go wake up the kiddos, Casanova," Charleigh replied with a smile before finally walking out of the room.

As soon as the kids were up, Noah got dressed but then ran straight to the guest room to talk Declan's ear off. Riley, who wasn't a morning child in any sense of the word, followed her mother into the bathroom to get her hair fixed, a scowl on her face. Her natural coal black curls—which matched Jaxson's exactly—fell haphazardly around her face and midway down her back. Charleigh simply ran some mousse through her curls, putting them in a more refined order as she looked back at her in the mirror.

Eventually, after they'd all shared quick bowls of cereal in the guest room with Declan, the kids were ready to head out for school. Declan had looked to her suggestively, reminding her he wanted to tag along, and with him not being able to walk on his bad leg, she had to help support him as he held a crutch in his other hand. And she didn't understand how the crutch wasn't causing him more pain seeing as it bore the brunt of his weight. She wasn't near as much help as she'd have liked to be. As they had made their way to the car, Charleigh had noticed more than a few lengthy, studious glances from Noah and Riley. It was as though she could see inside their tiny minds. They were beginning to question Declan's presence in the house and what it meant—She and Declan would have to make it a point to confess to things tonight.

Although he'd picked the kids up from school for Charleigh before, he'd never brought them. As soon as she pulled up along the curb of the car loop, both kids kissed and hugged their mother. What Declan wasn't expecting was for Riley to wrap her little arms around his neck and kiss his cheek before bidding him goodbye. Of course, after that exchange he wasn't sure what to expect from Noah—if anything—but sure enough, the kid who he'd begun to think of as his 'mini-me', got out of the car and opened the passenger side door for a fist bump. Charleigh couldn't help but laugh as they pulled away. Her son was definitely all boy and—had she not noticed before, she certainly would have now—Declan had rubbed off on him in every way.

"What are you laughing at?" He asked with a smile, reaching over and taking her hand in his as she drove.

"If that wasn't a 'Declan Kopus' move, I don't know what was. He's trying so hard to be macho and tough like you, but his expression and mannerisms...I can't even with you two."

Declan laughed lightly, relaxing as much as he could in the seat—which wasn't much due to his large stature.

It had been maybe twenty minutes since they'd dropped the kids off at school when Charleigh's phone began blaring Miranda Lambert's 'Gunpowder and Lead'. Declan watched in amusement as she glanced at the screen, rolled her eyes and answered.

"This is Charleigh...now Mr. Milton, until you lower your voice, I have nothing to say to you...I understand that but you're just going to have to be..."

Declan wasn't having it as he took the phone from her hand. This jackass had been needing work done—which was Declan's job—but he didn't realize there were other people in the world outside of himself.

"Ted? Yeah, look man, I know what you need done and I'm sorry I haven't got around to it yet, but you've got two options. One, you could sit and be patient, or two, you can find somebody else. I'm out of work for the next couple months due to a broken leg, and well to be blunt, there's a list of others in front of you. Calling and yelling at Charleigh isn't going to do anything but piss me off. Understand?"

Charleigh sat back and smiled as Declan listened to whatever the idiot was telling him, glanced over to her, winked and kissed her hand once more. Once the call had ended, Declan set her phone to vibrate and told her that from now on, anyone that called regarding farm labor she either needed to pass on his number or hand him the phone.

"Shit, is he always like that when he calls you?" Declan grumbled.

"Dec, babe, Ted Milton is the least hostile of all the asshole ranchers in this town. I can handle it. I've done so long enough on my own."

"Not any more you're not," he told her firmly. "I honestly wish you'd have told me that was the kind of shit you'd been dealing with a long time ago, Charleigh. They're yelling at you for something that's not in your job description. It's my job; I'm the one they should be yelling at, not you."

"Dec, you need to chill out okay? I didn't tell you because I knew you'd want to start taking the calls and I wasn't putting that on you. I'll have you know I've chewed their asses out on more than one occasion because I know how hard you work. You're the hardest working man I've ever known, and I always tell them you're covered up and when you have time to get to it, you will. Some know and take that for what it is, but then there's the idiots like Milton."

"Yeah, well I only have one bum leg. He ever does that shit again, I'll shove my good up straight up his fucking ass."

Charleigh laughed loudly, playfully slapping at his chest. "Oh my God, Declan, seriously?!"

"What you think I won't?"

"Oh no, I know you will but...ah nevermind. Some things never change," she grinned as they finally pulled up to the cabin.

Nearly an hour had passed since they'd arrived at the cabin and they'd yet to get him into the shower. Charleigh's phone hadn't quit—many of the calls being handled by Declan. Eventually she'd had enough and turned her phone off, tossed it onto the couch and proceeded to take charge, grabbing Declan's arm and helping him into the bathroom.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're just trying to get me naked," he accused, grinning down sexily at her.

"You're not wrong," she teased, moving her opposite hand down into the waistband of his pants, grabbing a handful of his round, muscular ass and squeezing firmly. "This wait is going to be the death of me..."

"Baby, I may be beat up, even a little broken, but I'm not an invalid."

"Declan, don't think I haven't noticed you grimacing every time you breathe too deep, or move the wrong way."

He simply scoffed in disagreement as she brought him to rest his backside against the bathroom vanity.

"Then you're playing with fire, baby," he warned, stretching his arm further over her shoulder and palming her breasts.

"Which one? Bath or shower?" She asked after clearing her throat, moving her body in front of him and placing her hands gently on his hips.

"Shower. Probably best I don't submerge the rash in my nasty ass water," he answered, referring to the road rash. "What are you gonna do while I'm in?"

"I have to set your clothes out, clean up a bit, and I need to get you a few bags together." She answered, slowly backing away from him towards the shower so she could get it going. "You going to use the shower chair or try to stand?"

"I think I'll be using the chair. Higgins said not to put weight on it," he replied, sighing loudly.

Charleigh nodded as she crossed back over to him, taking hold of the collar of his t-shirt behind his neck and pulling it off, her eyes never left his. She hesitated for a moment before reaching for his pants, Declan understanding exactly why she was reluctant.

"I'm not going to try anything, Char," he whispered into her ear, attempting to soothe her anxiety.

"It's not you I worry about," Charleigh laughed nervously. "Last time I did this I discovered a piercing. Develop any more surprises since then?"

Declan laughed heartily and pulled her to him for a brief hug. "You're so fucking cute," he ground out, kissing the side of her head. "No, baby, there's been no new developments."

Taking in a breath she quickly pushed the pants down and over his hips, making sure she kept her eyes above his waist, otherwise she wouldn't be able to stop herself.

Sometime later, after having lay everything out for him and having packed a few bags of his things he'd had there, she went back to the bathroom, curious as to what had been taking him so long. What she saw broke her heart. He sat in the chair, soapy loofa in hand, brushing it over the left side of his body marred with evidence of the accident. She could see his body visibly twitch from the distress of being aggravated and his groans told her all she needed to know. She honestly hadn't thought through just how difficult it was for him to bathe with the injuries he had and she was sure that if he hadn't washed his hair yet, it would prove to be even more painful because to do so would cause strain to his rib injury.

Not needing to think twice about it, she disrobed and made her way to the shower, quietly opening the door and moving to stand behind him. He was so immersed in the discomfort of trying to bathe that he hadn't heard her come in.

She reached out to still his hand just as her mouth lowered to his ear. "I'll take it from here."

"Baby, you don't have to do this," he told her defeatedly, his body under so much stress he hadn't even flinched at the surprise of her voice and touch.

"I know I don't, D, but I want to. Have you washed your hair yet?" Declan shook his head,

Not speaking another word, she dropped the loofa to the shower floor and lathered up her hands to rub over the wounds softly. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize the mesh material of the loofa had been scrubbing and pulling at the scabs that had formed, so it made sense that the use of her bare hands was soothing to him. As she gently rubbed over the scabbing, his head fell back against her breasts, the pleasure from her touch rushing over him and calming his nerves. There was something incredibly erotic to him in regard to the way she was taking care of him. As Charleigh moved in closer, leaning down to massage the soap into the flesh of his chest, she took note of the way his breathing picked up. She marveled at the feel of his skin, the firmness of his muscles flexing and twitching beneath her hands. So much about his body had changed. Every ridge, curve, blemish...all caused her mouth to water in desire. She'd never craved anyone, or anything like she did Declan Kopus. And the further she slid her hands down his abdomen ever so slowly, the harder he became. If she wasn't careful, she was going to massage him into a release just from her touch alone. He stretched his arm behind him, his hand cupping the back of her thigh firmly as he bit at his bottom lip. The fingertips of her hands were treading dangerously close to where he wanted her most as she leaned even further down, craning her head over his shoulder and trailing her lips down his neck in open mouthed kisses, her tongue flicking out hotly against his skin.

"Fuck...Charleigh, baby, I can't...you're gonna have to stop if you..." Declan didn't get to finish before his words were swallowed by her needy kiss as her tiny, re-lathered hand firmly grasped him, gliding up and down his slick shaft as her other hand fisted his hair at the back of his neck. Her thumb flicked against the balls at the ends of the piercing through the head of his length, tweaking the coil in the pit of his stomach tighter and tighter.

Despite the immense pain he felt with each breath, her titillating ministrations coaxed him closer and closer to the edge. Her hand pumped him tighter and at a steady pace, twisting on the downstroke as the hunger in their kiss grew feral. It was when she made the bold move of angling her body to straddle him that Declan realized they weren't going to be stopping. He tried to keep up but his mind was everywhere all at once. Charleigh, minutes later, broke the kiss with a desperate moan and met his eyes, her lips swollen and red from their kiss, she whimpered, "I, I can't stop...I need to feel you, Declan."

"Okay, baby, just...be easy," he whispered back passionately just as Charleigh began to slowly sink down over him, the sensation of being hugged tightly inside of her warmth shattering the coil deep in the pit of his stomach. Declan's head slumped over onto her shoulder with a guttural groan as she moved over him leisurely. She took care to take him in to the hilt, then withdrew nearly all the way, and back down again, feeling him twitch deep inside her as he continued to spill his release in spurts against her walls, her moans filling his ear before coming herself.

After a few moments, their breathing ragged, Declan took her face in both hands, kissing her tenderly before whispering words of endearment into her ear. Charleigh's eyes lifted to his, tears stinging at her eyes, the raw emotion of being with him, feeling him seated deeply once again too much for her to bear. She'd forgotten that love could feel like that, and now that she'd felt it once again, she wasn't ready to let that feeling go. Pressing her forehead to his, and lacing their fingers together, she began to move once again, this time easy and painstakingly slow with long strokes. And it wasn't even with the purpose of them finding release once again, she just needed him. She'd long since forgotten just what being with him in that way did to her, how it brought her to a level of euphoria unmatched by anything or anyone else. Charleigh completely lost herself to him and with each stroke, she clung tighter, afraid that if she blinked he'd be gone. Her movements became choppy and desperate as Declan quickly sensed the turmoil before him.

"Charleigh, look at me, baby," he demanded roughly. He knew what she needed, but he couldn't give her the ferocity he felt, the raw passion she craved, not without putting his body in complete agony. When her eyes managed to meet his, he released her hands to splay his own against her back, pulling her against him. "I'm right here, Char, I'm here, baby. I'm not going anywhere," he assured her, kissing her soundly as he tightened his arms around her possessively, stilling her movements as she shuddered and melted into his embrace, her face buried in his neck. You could write it on the wall, once the smoke cleared and he was free, he would make it official and claim her as his own, he'd finally put the ring always meant for her on her finger, and he'd make damn sure this was how he'd spend every day of the rest of his life.

Sometime later, after having washed his hair and bickering about shaving his beard some more, they made it out of the shower. It didn't take long for either of them to realize it was in the best interest of them both that what they'd shared together in the shower not be repeated until Declan was good and well, as when he'd gone to get up, the injury to his rib had smarted so badly he nearly couldn't breathe and it had taken all of Charleigh's strength to keep him from falling to his knees.

She'd eventually gotten his clothes on straight and had just finished loading his bag into the car when Declan took her by the arm as she went to pass him.

"Hey, look at me," he ordered as she stopped and hesitated for a moment. "I'm good, all right?"

"No, you're not, Declan. Don't bullshit me. We're going home and you're taking your meds, getting your ass back into bed and resting. It was too soon..."

"Don't do that, Char, you know it pisses me off. I'm not a child. What just happened was on us both, not just you."

"You're right, you're not, but you ARE the most stubborn, pig-headed son of a bitch I've ever known," she shot back. "If you want your leg to heal properly, we're going to have to follow doctor's orders which means immobilization to the furthest extent, which in my world means bed rest and no more monkey business, otherwise you'll be walking like a crippled penguin for the rest of your life."

With a heavy, disgruntled sigh, Declan slung his arm over her shoulders once again and slowly made it out to the car.

"For the record," he stated as he fought to get comfortable inside. "I'm full aware of my stubborn streak, but calling me a fucking penguin was uncalled for."

Charleigh laughed at the seriousness etched upon his face.

"You laugh now, but I want an apology."

"Yeah, okay, I'll give you an apology when you let me trim your beard," Charleigh grinned as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Nah uh, baby, we already cut that deal and you still haven't beaten me in a game of axes."

"Mind telling me how you're going to manage a game of axes in your condition?"

Seeing as how he had no arguing point, Declan laughed and took her hand as she drove, remaining tight-lipped for the remainder of the drive. Looked like he'd be getting a trim tonight because just as it had always been, no matter how stubborn or hard he fought in arguments with her, he never won.

*~STA~*

She'd never seen him this way. She knew everything weighed heavy on his mind, but he'd been more distant and quiet than he'd ever been, which was completely unlike him. Her husband was always full of life, ready to razz whoever crossed his path for whatever reason he felt suited the occasion. Now, as Renee looked out at Clayton sitting on a fence post under a gathering of trees, she knew they'd need to talk. Their kids, Tyler and Aimee had begun to notice and question her about what was wrong with daddy. She hollered at the kids in the empty expanse of her kitchen that she'd be right back, then, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, started on her way to him.

Renee knew the situation with Declan and Charleigh had become unbelievably complicated and had brought a lot of bad memories up, and while she was glad to see them start working through things, she hated what it was doing to Clayton because whether he liked it or not, he was stuck in the middle of all that was going on. And the worst part had yet to come; they hadn't dealt with their father yet.

Stetson McKenzie.

Everyone over the spread of five towns knew that name, and they knew it well. He had long since been celebrated as one of the top attorney's and ranchers for years. She couldn't bring herself to brag about a man she had despised from the beginning. Stetson had made it very clear to her from the day Clayton had brought her home and introduced her that she wasn't welcome. She honestly believed there wasn't a gentle, compassionate bone in his body and after hearing of what he'd done to Declan, she didn't understand how her husband and Charleigh continued to support him and do his sowing for him.

"Clay, honey, what are you doing out here?" She questioned, hugging her arms around his waist from behind as he sat on the post.

"Reflecting," he answered quietly, "Trying to decide on how to prevent the inevitable," he huffed on a sarcastic chortle.

"Stopping your father isn't completely on you, Clay. You don't have to go it alone," she soothed, moving to the side to look him in the face. The bright blue color of his eyes had dulled with the immense turmoil swimming about in his head and Renee couldn't help but worry.

"No, Rae, this time I think I do, and it is. I was so stupid back then and held my father above all others. He was the only parent we had left, so I didn't know any better. Even then I didn't feel right about siding with him and his selfish intentions. Char had every right to call me out on never having told her the truth about Dad and his schemes. She's my sister, my only sister, Rae, and I forced the only happiness she'd ever known out of her life. I allowed Dad to brainwash me into believing it was the right thing to do. And Declan..."

"Declan should've been honest with her from the get go. Regardless of what your father said, if he'd loved her as much as he claimed to back then, he wouldn't have let her go as easily without a fight. This all falls on him just as much as it does you, Clay," Renee told him firmly.

"You weren't there, love. You don't know how heartbreaking and challenging his life has been for him. Declan is one tough son of a bitch to have gone through all he has and still manage to be the bad ass, respectable man that he is. His story isn't mine to tell though if you were mention it to anyone in town they'd be more than happy to tell you. He's been beat down and slandered by everyone for years for something he had nothing to do with other than being a victim. Declan was my best friend, Rae, and I stood behind Dad and helped to destroy him and what he had with my sister. He tried to go back to her several times, but my dumbass was always there to beat him back down. Me? I'm what prevented him from giving her the world. So yeah, stopping Dad and whatever he has planned? That's up to me. Not because anyone said so, but because I'm making it so. I owe the both of them," Clay ranted, sniffling.

"Honey, you can warn them of him coming but you can't prevent something you know nothing about. I'm sure he's aware over the years you've seen the error of his bullshit and knows better than to let you in on anything he's planning. I know the guilt you feel is tearing you apart, but you were just as much a victim to your father's games as they were. If you ask me, Charleigh is the one who needs to confront him. She had the most at stake, she was the real target in his game."

Taking her hand and pulling it to his lips to brush a kiss along her knuckles, Clay hopped down and took her into his arms. "Maybe you're right, Rae, but I just feel like I should be doing something."

This man's heart was too big for his own good, and she loved him for it. Taking his face into her hands, Renee gently kissed him. "You are doing something. You played a large part in helping bring them back together. They were both ready to just give up after their blow up yesterday. It was your determination to fix it that eventually paid off. If you had seen them this morning, you'd understand. I'm not sure I've ever truly seen Declan so carefree, despite all the shit he has against him right now. And Charleigh, it's in her eyes, honey. Take it from me, they're good. Now," she began fisting his shirt at his side and pressing herself against him. "What do you say we get the kids in bed and take this upstairs, hmm? Work out some of this tension," she murmured, biting her lip and then moving a hand to play in the curls at the back of his neck.

"Hmm, I love it when you talk dirty," he rasped, "but why wait for them to go to bed when there's a perfectly good shed right there?"

"Last time we incorporated the shed into our rendezvous I was left removing splinters from my ass for a week," Renee deadpanned. "We're getting the kids to bed first, Romeo."

"Yes, ma'am," Clay answered with a smile, his dimples deeply creasing as Renee withdrew from him and tugged him by the hand behind her toward the house.

*~STA~*

"Dammit, Charleigh, answer your phone!" Declan growled in frustration as he once again reached her voicemail. The last he'd talked to her was two and a half hours ago when she told him she was leaving to pick up the kids.

Despite his futile attempts at arguing with her and declaring his was fine to travel in the car, she'd won out and he'd been confined to the bed since they'd returned from the cabin. She had let him start taking calls regarding work needing to be done so that she could get the legal work finished, so that had helped time to fly by—although he was already forming a list of assholes who'd pissed him off.

Charleigh still wasn't answering and with each call that went unanswered, each text, he became a little more worried. It wasn't like her to ignore him, so his mind couldn't help but fear the worst. Clayton and Renee weren't answering either, which only made him even more anxious.

His leg be damned. He was about a hair's breadth from grabbing his crutch and hobbling himself outside.

That was until Noah, filthy and smelling like the inside of a pig pen came bouncing into the room.

"Mom sent me to check on you because she's...um...busy," he snickered.

"What happened?"

"When she let Beast out of his stall, he wouldn't move out of her way so she got mad at him and started yelling. He accidentally knocked her into the wheelbarrow of crap she'd raked out from the rest of the stalls."

Trying to stifle his laughter and failing miserably, Declan covered his face with his hands as relief washed over him at the same time. He was really going to have to do something about that horse. "Your mother is out there mucking the stalls? What else has she done?"

"Everything," Noah answered wide-eyed, "Well, almost everything. She let me and Ry feed the chickens."

"What does she have left to do?"

"I don't know. Ask her, I've been running around and wasn't paying attention."

"Noah, did you offer to help her like you do when I'm out there?" Declan questioned, fixing him sternly.

"Yeah, I swear! She wouldn't let me. Do you want anything or not?"

"No, I'm good, buddy. Do me a favor would you?"

"What?"

"Go back out there and tell your mom that you and your sister are going to finish up, my orders. You mom has had a long day and the last thing she needs is be working out there."

"But she said..." Noah started to object.

"I know what she said, Noah, but I'm telling you that she's tired and needs a break, okay?"

"Yes, sir," Noah answered sullenly as Declan patted his back affectionately before he left the room.

He couldn't believe Charleigh had left the office to go and take care of his work as well. The job wore him out and here she was not only taking on the shit she dealt with in the office but also the strenuous work in the barn. If this was what he'd have to look forward to during his healing process, he was going to need to talk to Clayton.

Thirty minutes passed before he heard the front door slam shut and Charleigh entered the bedroom. Her face was streaked with dust and muck as was her clothing, and her hair which she'd pulled up into a messy bun had frayed everywhere. The fatigue shone dully in her eyes as she stopped to look at him for a moment.

"What on earth were you thinking, woman?" Declan softly asked as he gestured for her to come closer.

"Someone had to do it, and Clay wasn't anywhere to be found. So, I figured I'd give the kids a break and take it on myself."

"Charleigh, I don't want you filling in for me. You already have enough to handle, baby. You told me yesterday that Noah had taken on my load with the help of Riley. Let them, and if it gets too much, call Clay."

"I can do it, Dec. It's not a problem," she replied exasperatedly.

"Maybe not today but add tomorrow and you'll be too tired to function. Trust me, okay?"

With a warm smile, she leant over and just as she was about to kiss him, he turned his head and gently pushed her back. "Baby, I love you, but right now you smell like the inside of a skunk's asshole."

Glaring down at him, Charleigh slapped his chest and headed towards the bathroom.

"I'm just being honest!" He called after her, receiving the middle finger as a response before the bathroom door slammed and the shower kicked on minutes later.

Had it been something he'd said?

An hour or so later, while Charleigh was in the kitchen reheating the soup and supervising the kids as they did their homework—she still hadn't forgiven him—Declan's phone rang.

"Kopus," he answered.

"What's up, man?" Clayton questioned, "You blew up my phone and I was in the middle of something."

"What's up is while you were busy doing whatever, your sister's been in the barn taking on all of my duties. She said she tried to call you but you were nowhere to be found."

Clayton audibly sighed on the other end. "Shit, I'm sorry man. I'll talk to her and take care of it tomorrow. My lady needed some me time, if you..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't need to hear all that. I'm just giving you a head's up."

"How're things going with you two? Everything good?"

"Well," Declan chuckled wryly, "It was until I opened my mouth...AGAIN."

"Christ, Kopus, what now?" Clayton laughed.

"I may or may not have told her she smelled like a skunk's asshole when she came in. She hasn't spoken to or even glanced at my ass since."

The two men laughed hysterically for a few minutes, not surprised at all by Declan's actions.

"Okay, man, you do realize you're supposed to be fixing things, not fucking up and pissing her off, right?"

"It wasn't like I was lying! She fell on her ass into a pile of muck from what the kids told me. Trust me, you could smell the shit off her before she ever even stepped foot..."

"Are you done?" The icy tone of her voice rendered him silent. He knew before the threat ever came that not only was she most likely give him the silent treatment, he'd be sleeping alone tonight. And he wouldn't put it past her to have the kids tend to his needs for the remainder of the night.

"Uh...Clay, man, I gotta go."

"She just caught your ass again, didn't she?" Clayton snickered.

"Laugh it up, fucker," Declan muttered.

"Good luck! You're on your own."

Not trusting himself to respond to him, Declan hung up the phone and flashed a nervous smile in her direction.

"You are such an asshole," she hissed as she stalked towards him. For the first time ever, he was genuinely afraid of her.'

"I am," he answered shakily, still smiling—although that was failing too, "and I'm sorry, baby."

"You realize there's been times where you were covered in more shit than I have ever been and still remained to be the sexiest fucking man alive?"

"Really?" He cringed. "Jesus, I can't imagine anything smelling worse than what you did an hour ago and sweetheart, hate to break it to you but that's smell is the furthest thing from..."

Before he had time to retract his statement, Charleigh's fist angrily collided with his jaw. And while it hurt something fierce, he knew he deserved. Charleigh, however, was left bouncing in her spot, clutching her hand to her chest, her face twisting in pain.

"Dammit!" She howled, "Your fucking jaw made of steel or what?"

"I don't know. Come here, baby, let me see your hand," he pleaded, reaching out to take her by the waist and pulling her to sit beside him. "I can't believe you just punched me," he laughed, "Well, actually I can, but still."

"You deserved it, jackass," she whined, then met his eyes full of mirth and couldn't help but laugh with him at how ridiculous the scenario actually was. "You're so mean."

"Hey! You're the one that just punched a crippled, defenseless man. I'd say you have me beat in that department, sweetheart."

Laughter dying down, Charleigh gently placed her hand against his cheek, "I can't believe I just hit you, D. I'm sorry."

"No, you're not" he told her plainly, "and it's okay because I had it coming," he continued with a smile.

Shaking her head at him, she leaned in closer until they shared the same breaths, tilting their heads this way and that, toying with each other until their lips finally met deliciously.

"Momma?" Riley's voice echoed around the room, startling the both of them and triggering an onslaught of anxiety from being caught. Charleigh moved away from Declan and turned to meet the confused stare of not just Riley, but also Noah.

"Hey you two, did you finish..."

"Why were you kissing Declan?" Noah asked, skepticism in his small voice.

"Come here kids, there's something me and your mom want to talk to you about," Declan interjected, noting Charleigh's nervousness.

Both kids immediately moved to join them on the bed, Declan's nose wrinkling at the stench of manure coming off of them as they had yet to bathe, and Charleigh fixing him with a warning glare. He'd already pushed her to punching him, he'd have been stupid to do it again.

Taking in a calming breath, Charleigh reached out and grabbed their hands softly. "Noah, Riley, baby how would y'all feel if Declan and mom started seeing each other?"

Riley squinted in confusion. "But you see him all the time."

"No, sweetheart, I mean like as my boyfriend."

"B-but what about Ms. Lisa?" Riley questioned, her blue eyes darting quickly between Charleigh and Declan.

"Well, sometimes, sweetie, two people can love each other very much but it just doesn't work out. Ms. Lisa and I aren't married anymore, okay? And your mom and me, we've been friends for a very, very long time, even before you two rascals were born."

"Yeah, you were her boyfriend a long time ago, too. If you broke up a long time ago, what happens if you break up now?" Noah asked, taking both Charleigh and Declan off guard.

"H-how...who told you that, baby?"

"I found a box out in the barn with pictures in it."

"Bud, that was a long time ago, more than ten years. A lot of things happened back then and one day, we'll tell you, but...do you trust me?"

"Duh," Noah answered with a goofy smile and rolled his eyes.

"I don't think your mom and me will break up again, okay? Everything's different now," Declan tried to explain. He had been in no way prepared for the questions the kids were asking and he was sure Charleigh wasn't either. And now, his curiosity was seriously piqued about this mystery box the boy had found.

"Momma, what if he starts to yell at you and make you cry like that jerk Cullen?" Noah asked, his protectiveness coming out as he crawled into her lap.

"Baby, Cullen was a very sick man and he just wasn't right for our family. I'm sorry you had to see me upset so much but you know Declan. He would never upset me like that."

"Noah, buddy, you have my word; I would never do anything to make your mom upset. I just want a chance to make us all happy, if you'll let me."

"You already make us happy, silly," Riley chimed in with a big smile and giggle as she jumped up and moved into Declan's arms, kissing his cheek.

"That's all I want, sweetheart. Noah, bud, you okay with..."

Before Declan could finish, Noah smiled brilliantly and joined his sister in Declan's arms. "Yes!" He exclaimed but then pulled back and looked at Declan comically, as though he were trying to come off as menacing. "Do you love mom?"

"Very much," Declan answered, reaching out and taking her hand in his. "I love both of you knuckleheads too."

"Okay, good, keep mom happy and I won't have to use my tomahawk."

"Noah!" Charleigh exclaimed, admonishing her son for having said what he did. "You tell him you're sorry right now!"

Declan's eyes which had grown wide in shock filled once again with laughter as he brushed Charleigh's orders off. If he needed any confirmation he'd rubbed off on the boy, that was it. "It's okay, Char. He's protecting you, just like every son should. I promise you, Noah, I'm not going to hurt any of you, okay?"

"Then I'm okay with it," he smiled, hugging Declan's neck tightly as Riley rose from his lap and did the same.

"Me too. Are you gonna live here now too?"

"I am until I'm healed at least, that okay?" Declan asked, not missing the loving look Charleigh was shooting his way.

"Heck yeah!" They shouted in unison, hugging Declan tight around his neck.


	6. Chapter 6

She watched from her place beside him on the couch, anticipation and excitement filling her heart and stomach. After nine years of ranking second in importance, she was finally going to see some retribution. While Cullen Blackford wasn't what she'd consider to be her type, they had something in common. A thirst for vengeance.

Her husband, Declan and Cullen's significant other, Charleigh had played right into their hands and now, thanks to catching them red-handed, Lisa now had the upper hand in their divorce and she was going to take him for all he had. She'd fallen out of love with Declan a long time ago—when his feelings for and the truth of his past with Charleigh came to light. She'd also grown tired of the constant pressure to give him a family. Lisa wasn't sure how many more times she could stand to tell him she wasn't a maternal person. She didn't have the nurturing gene all of these other women had, she just didn't. And then he was gone so much they had virtually become strangers, and despite his attempts at patching things up and trying to romance her, she wasn't about to touch him when he'd spent all day out on the ranch with that homewrecking, manipulative bitch. And to think, Lisa had actually considered Charleigh a friend once.

Not anymore.

Not when she learned of how they had both been keeping her in the dark for years.

That was where Cullen came in.

When he and Charleigh began fighting a few months into their relationship, he'd happened to stumble across Lisa one night in a bar. She had gone out for a drink after another row with Declan and the rest was history. Granted, she wasn't fond of the knowledge he'd beaten women in his past, but he'd yet to lay hands on her and so, she added it up to Charleigh just having pushed the wrong buttons. All negative factors aside, Lisa felt she could actually be happy with Cullen if they really gave it a true shot. Lord knew, the past nine years had been a damn waste.

"Uh yeah, I was holding for Stetson McKenzie," Cullen stated to whom she guessed was McKenzie's assistant. "Stetson? Yeah, listen, it's Cullen Blackford. No sir, everything's been good at dad's. Look, I came across some information that worries me, not only for your grandkids but also for your daughter...No sir, we split up...A few weeks back...Well sir, that's kind of what I'm calling you about...I tried to set things right and stumbled upon her tangled up in the hay loft with Declan Kopus...I know it ain't my place or business to be telling you all that but given his history and all th...Yes sir, yes sir. You're welcome. Say, when do you think you'll be back in town? Oh shoot, okay well holler at me when you get back, maybe we can do lunch. Uh huh...bye."

"Well?" Lisa questioned, latching on to Cullen's bicep, a hopeful smile on her face.

"McKenzie's good and pissed; Game, set, match...now we just sit back and watch their precious little world come crashing to the ground."

 ***~STA~***

"Riley, quit heckling the chickens. Y'all are supposed to be mucking now get in there and help your brother," Clayton shouted to his niece as she scowled back at him petulantly. "Ahh, that girl. Just like her momma."

"Ain't that the truth," Declan muttered from where he sat beside him outside the barn doors. Just this morning he'd had an argument with her over eating her breakfast and he'd be damned if she didn't react just as her mother would have. "If I didn't love the kid so much, I'd..."

"Your teddy bear ass wouldn't do a damn thing so don't even try," Clayton deadpanned as they both took swigs of their beer.

"I would too," Declan insisted defensively. "Ask Char, yesterday she pushed me far enough that I had to take her phone away as punishment."

"Uh huh and how long did that last?"

Declan grumbled and looked straight ahead into the pasture, "Not even ten minutes."

"Jesus, and you fight bad asses by night? Wow, man, living with my sister may not be such a good idea after all. You're going soft," Clayton laughed as Declan shot him the finger.

"I always have been when it comes to those two kids and you know that. Kiss my ass."

Nearly a month had passed by since their reconciliation and things—while tense at times regarding Cullen and Lisa's shenanigans—they'd almost reverted to an aged model of how Charleigh and Declan's relationship used to be. Add on two kids. And from Declan's perspective, annoying in-laws who while he loved them dearly, needed to learn their boundaries. The one and only real complaint either of them had was in reference to Cullen and Lisa.

The couple had—thus far—ruined Declan's truck by hammering with what they assumed to be a baseball bat, they'd taken the childish route of vandalism, spray painting the exterior walls of the barn and her home, Lisa had cut off all of Declan's credit cards and had even removed him from the bank account, and most recently, they'd began stirring things up with clients of Stetson McKenzie, accusing Charleigh of billing them for fraudulent services and using the money to fund the ranch. Declan, Clayton and Renee had all spent hours in the office together just the other day, going down the client list and setting whatever wrongs had been made right. Now more than ever, Declan wished he had complete use of his leg so he could stick it to Cullen in the way he knew best because as things stood, they had no proof and the police department flat refused to do anything about it other than making a report.

Dr. Higgins had finally moved Declan out of the immobilizing brace, to one with a limited range of motion but at least now he was able to move his leg. Although he still couldn't do much, the little he was allowed to move it made all the difference in the world. The pain had drastically decreased in his knee, while the road rash had basically completely healed—thanks to Charleigh's amazing bedside manner—and his ribs, while still smarting every once in a while, were just about healed as well. He was relieved to say he was in a much better place now, as was Charleigh. What was even better was the daily routines he'd already formed with the kids. Before, their routine had merely consisted of going and helping him with his duties around the ranch after school. Now? From the moment they woke to the time they went to bed, they had a routine on lock. Charleigh woke them each morning and made breakfast for them all which they ate together at the kitchen table, like a family. Then either he would accompany her in dropping them off at school or he'd just take them on his own now since he was far enough into recovery. Once the kids returned home, they took care of things at the barn with Clayton. Homework and nighttime rituals kicked in immediately after and Declan was proud to say he assisted quite a bit, making for a much smoother transition on getting the kids in bed and leaving more time for he and Charleigh to unwind from the stress of the day in the office. And after only two nights of sleeping apart, Declan moved himself into Charleigh's bedroom. It hadn't been easy, but they'd refrained from any intimacy since the morning at the cabin a month ago, something he could honestly say he was proud of. The time they'd spent together in the days since had given them the chance to completely fall in love all over again, gave them time to learn each other once again, this time as adults. Granted they knew each other better than anyone else, but a lot had changed in the span of a decade and there were things they just hadn't felt comfortable sharing with each other during their friendship.

The skies were clear, sun just beginning to set as the wind blew gently, kicking up dust around the barn. It really was a beautiful day, hence Declan's having spent it outside cleaning saddles and tack with Clayton. Being able to come back outside and be in his element made his chest swell; the two weeks he'd spent on bed rest nearly drove him mad and by the end of that stint, he wasn't a pleasant person to be around. He knew he'd driven Charleigh crazy and had honestly been surprised she hadn't kicked him out during that time. Now, the only things lacking were his inability to go riding whenever he wanted to and his Harley—which had often times been something he'd work on in the evening to pass the time back before everything blew up.

"Here comes trouble," Clayton snickered, snapping Declan out of his thoughts to focus on Charleigh making her way toward them. He wasn't sure he'd ever get over how he felt watching her, knowing she was once again his. The long, auburn waves of her hair billowed out behind her in the wind as she moved with a steady pace, a sultry sway to her hips he just knew she was clueless about. As she approached him minutes later, she smiled sweetly, the tiredness shining back at him through her eyes as she lowered herself down to sit in his lap, his good leg bearing her weight as she wrapped an arm around his neck and brought her other hand to his jaw lovingly. "Hey baby," Declan greeted affectionately, rubbing his hand along her jean clad thigh and looking up at her sympathetically. "Tired?"

"Today has been a nightmare. I just want to go home, soak in the bath and go to bed. Clay, you or even Rae, are going to have to start alternating days with me in the office. I can't handle this bullshit anymore," Charleigh stated, looking over her shoulder at her brother.

"Anytime you're ready for a break, I'm here. Just let me know," Clayton answered before turning to head back into the barn, hollering something to the kids who were still busy with the horse stalls.

"He's right, baby. You and I should take him up on it. Take the kids and just get the hell out of here for a few days or a week," Declan murmured, tucking her hair back behind her ear.

"I'll think about it, okay? Now, what have you done all day besides get filthy cleaning tack?"

"You're looking at it, sweetheart. Just sat here shooting the shit with Clay. And you like me filthy," he argued, rubbing his nose along hers.

"I don't hate it," she smirked, tugging on his beard—which he still hadn't let her trim—as he tightened his arms, pulling her into his chest and capturing her lips in a sweet kiss.

"How bad were the calls today?" She inquired, fisting his shirt in her hand loosely.

"Nothing I couldn't handle, but I'll tell you one thing. I'm about a hop, skip, and jump away from shoving both my feet up Milton's ass. Fucker doesn't understand he needs to hire someone else to do his dirty work. I'm not the only ranch hand in this town."

"You may not be the only ranch hand, but you _are_ the best and everyone knows it. That's why they're always calling for you."

"Well, apparently that's all I'm good for to them," he muttered, referring back to the gossip Lisa and Cullen had started spreading, along with the bad rep already stacked against him in reference to his father.

With a stern look, Charleigh took his face in her hands. "Stop it. You're better and smarter than that, D. No one fucking cares what anyone in this town thinks. You told me that not too long ago."

"I know, baby. It just...I've dealt with this for more than half my life, you'd think this town would move the hell on already. It's just frustrating."

"Honestly, the more and more people talk and the more bullshit gets thrown our way, the more I want to just pick up and have you take the kids and I away from here," she mused, turning slightly to lean her back against his chest and her head against his as she looked straight ahead. "For good."

"I may not be able to promise you anything right now, sweetheart, as far as moving goes, but what I _can_ do is take Clayton up on the offer and whisk us all out of town for a vacation. I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

"Wouldn't you rather wait until Higgins gives the okay on taking the brace off and says your free and clear?"

Nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder, he mumbled, "If it gets us away from here for a while, just us and the kiddos, I don't care. And Christ, you smell good," he growled playfully into her ear.

Charleigh laughed and sat up straight, interrupting the attention he'd begun divulging on her neck.

"Easy tiger. Let me tell the kids I'm headed to the house and then maybe you'd like to come with me?" She suggested coyly.

"Hmmm...what are you gonna do when you get home?"

"Well, I don't know, I was thinking about maybe soaking in the bath before cooking..."

"How about you let me take care of dinner tonight while you get some rest, and if you think you can hold off long enough, maybe I can join you for that bath afterward?" Declan softly told her, taking her chin and turning her head to him.

"You _so_ have a deal," she moaned, pecking his lips fiercely before standing and readjusting herself. "Come on," she said, extending her hand to help him up out of the chair.

"You _so_ want me," He teasingly joked, pulling her back against him and holding her there as they hobbled into the barn.

"I always want you, Dec," she answered flatly, reaching behind her to hold his hips close.

"Heading to the house, I assume?" Clayton stated on his way out of the feed room, observing Declan and Charleigh's behavior.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted and Declan's gotta start supper. Just send the kids on home when they're done, okay?"

"Uh...sure you don't want me to keep them a little longer?" He asked with a wink. Charleigh looked on in confusion.

"What? Why..." She started.

"You know," Clayton said with a smile, winking as Charleigh suddenly caught on and dropped her face into her hands.

"No, Clay, we're good. None of that going on here," Declan gritted out as the kids rounded the corner of the stall. "Could you be any more obvious?"

"Well..."

"Don't answer that, man. Geeze, you and Rae know no boundaries," he said with a shake of his head as he felt Charleigh's back rattle from her laughter.

"Touchy much?" Clayton grumbled turning back to grab another bucket of sweet feed.

"No, not touchy, but you overstepped a bit there, man."

"I didn't mean anything by it! Shit! I was just offering to keep 'em a little longer and give you two some time," he argued exasperatedly before storming off into one of the stalls.

"Um, Dec, exactly how many beers have you had today?" Charleigh asked quietly.

"Just the one you saw me with, baby. I'm cool, really I am. I just don't appreciate the damn nosiness and..."

Charleigh turned to face Declan, marveling at just how unbelievably gorgeous he really was. "Hey, it's just Clay being Clay, okay? You should know by now not to take him seriously," she breathed, pressing a kiss to his jaw just as she heard the feet of her children on the barn floor.

"Geez, Noah look, they're doing it again," Riley sneered playfully as Declan and Charleigh both laughed. "Why are you always kissing?" Noah questioned in disgust.

"Because she _loves_ me," Declan sneered back in a childish, petulant manner, leaning over to Riley with his nose scrunched up before kissing her cheek and blowing raspberries, eliciting a shrill laughter from her.

"You two come on home when you're finished, okay? Momma's going take a nap and Declan needs to start dinner," Charleigh said with a smile.

"You're cooking?" Noah asked plainly, his eyes shining in disbelief.

"Yeah, that a problem?" Declan shot back, lightly knocking his fist against Noah's shoulder.

"Do you even know how?"

"Can you believe this kid?" He asked Charleigh, "You think the burgers you ate at my house cooked themselves? _YES,_ Noah, I know how to cook."

"What are you going to make?" Riley asked.

"Well, what do you two troublemakers want?"

"Chicken nuggets!"

"Mac N' Cheese!" The kids shouted simultaneously.

"You fucking kiddin' me?" Declan muttered straight-faced, groaning when Charleigh's elbow jabbed his stomach.

"Don't like the answer, don't ask an eight-year old what they want to eat for dinner," she bit out.

"How's chicken fried steak sound?" He asked, one eye shut as he grimaced, praying they'd both be fine with his plan.

Noah's attention turned to his mother as he looked up at her inquisitively. "Momma, no one makes chicken fried steak like you."

Charleigh smiled and shifted her eyes back to Declan. "Who do you think taught me how to cook it? I learned from Declan, so trust Momma, you want him to make the chicken fried steak."

"I guess but who's gonna help me with my homework?"

"I can still help, buddy, that's why I'm going home now to start on it early," he winked as Noah gave a thumb's up, hugged his mother and ran off into another stall with Riley.

"Know what this means, right?" Charleigh asked as Declan looked at her apprehensively.

"What?"

"Don't burn it."

"Oh thanks, no pressure," he laughed with a roll of the eyes as he gave a little shove to her back and they continued on their way out of the barn and to the house.

 ***~STA~***

A few hours later, Declan had just begun adding the last of the ingredients to the batter when the kids came bouncing into the house. He made quick work of flagging them down and reminding them that their mother was sleeping before ordering them to go wash their hands. Riley, as she usually did when coming in from the barn, asked Declan to get her water ready so she could take a bath. It wasn't that she didn't know how, but Charleigh had always started the water for the kids and apparently Riley hadn't grown out of it yet.

"Can I help?" Noah pleaded anxiously as Declan stood at the sink washing his hands.

"Sure, just let me go get your sister squared away really quick, okay?"

"Awesome! Did you beat the meat yet?"

 _He's just a child. He knows not what he says._ Declan uttered in his own mind silently.

"Not yet, and it's _tenderize_ the meat, Noah, not beat," he corrected him with a laugh as Noah simply stuck his tongue out.

With Riley hollering for him in the bathroom, Declan headed down the hallway, stopping in to check on Charleigh, who was still sound asleep. When they'd gotten home from the ranch, he'd laid in bed with her only long enough for her to fall asleep. She hadn't overexaggerated her exhaustion either because not even ten minutes went by before she'd crashed, head on his chest and body molded to his own. Getting himself out of bed without waking her had been a hell of a chore too. He took joy in being able to provide her this little bit of reprieve. Turning his attention to Riley, who once again shouted for him, Declan hurriedly closed the door and made his way into the bathroom fixing her with a stern look.

"What's with all the yelling?" He asked.

"You said you'd help me and you weren't coming," she told him as she looked down at her feet.

"Riley, your momma is sleeping, sweetie. I asked y'all to keep it down so we wouldn't wake her. And I'm sorry, it took me a minute because I had to wash my hands and..."

"You checked on her?" Riley asked, hands on her hips.

"Yes, I did. I check on you too when you're sleeping," he laughed, walking over and sitting on the edge of the tub as he began running the water.

"Declan?" Riley spoke nervously. "C-can I ask you a question?"

The sadness in her voice caused him to reach out and take her small hand, pulling her to sit on his good knee. "What's up, Sweet Pea?"

"When your leg gets all the way better, are you gonna fight again?"

"I-I don't know, Ry. Probably. Why sweetheart?"

"I don't want you to. You always get hurt. Momma doesn't like it either."

"She doesn't, you're right. But I'm all right, sweetheart. I win most of the time anyway."

"I don't care if you win! What if that bad man is there and hurts you again?" This time Declan took her little chin between his fingers and looked at her with concern.

"Riley, how do you know about that?"

"I heard Momma talking to Aunt Rae. I don't want you to die like my daddy did," Riley spilled, a single tear falling and simultaneously breaking Declan's heart. He pulled the little girl tight against his chest.

"Oh Sweetheart. I'm not going to die. I promise you that, okay?"

"You don't know that," she shot back, glaring at him.

Now more than ever he wished Charleigh was awake to help him with the situation. He couldn't stop fighting, not yet at least. Not until he'd made the son of a bitch responsible for running him off the road pay and beg for fucking mercy. But looking into the doe eyes of eight-year old Riley, he couldn't say no. He hadn't realized how much of an affect the aftermath of his fighting had had on the kids. Just as he would have had Charleigh begged and asked of him the same, he couldn't refuse her. He couldn't bear to be the one to tell Riley's fragile little heart no. "If it'll make you feel better, I won't fight anymore, Ry."

"Please, don't," she sniffled, hugging his neck tight.

Declan sat for a while, holding her close to him as he leaned over and turned off her water. At the sound of the tub faucet turning off, Riley rose to look at Declan, who in an attempt to make her smile began making faces at her. She giggled in response and kissed his cheek before climbing down.

He winked at her before walking out and shutting the door behind him. Once it was shut, Declan leaned back against the wall with his head in his hands, releasing a heavy breath. He wasn't sure what to expect from Riley when she'd asked, but it sure as hell wasn't that. It had been the first time either of the kids had ever mentioned Jaxson, their father, in any form of context to him, and he wasn't prepared for it. He just hoped he'd handled it right.

"Hey, Declan, what's taking you so long?" Noah called out from the kitchen. Pushing himself off of the wall, he headed back that way, scratching the back of his neck on the way.

"Sorry, bud. Ry wanted to talk really quick."

"Why?"

"Now, Noah, you know I'm not going to tell you what she tells me in private, come on now," he nudged the boy playfully as he washed his hands and started to tenderize the beef.

"She asked you not to fight anymore, didn't she?"

Declan cocked an eyebrow curiously in his direction. "Why would you say that?"

"Because we were talking about it earlier. You always come back beat up and if what momma was talking to Aunt Rae about the other night was true, then you can't go back. I don't like it either."

"Hey, what's with all the talking behind my back? You've never said anything to me about the fighting or the bruises I sometimes have, Noah. I thought we were buds, why haven't you ever said something?"

"Momma told us not to because it was rude, and nobody wants you to fight anymore. Momma gets upset and even waits for you to send a text to let her know you're okay before she'll go to bed on the nights you fight."

"Well, I'll talk to your momma about all of this later, but I'll tell you just like I told your sister, if it'll make you guys feel better, I won't fight anymore, okay?"

"Really?" Noah asked with a bright smile. "You won't?"

"Let me ask you a question, bud. Why exactly don't you want me to?"

"Because I don't like seeing you get hurt, and that last butthole you got in a fight with almost killed you. We never got to know our real dad because he died when we were still babies. All I know about him is what momma, you, and Uncle Clay tell me and Riley. We don't want that guy to kill you because...because if you die it would be like he killed the only dad we ever really had. And I don't tell momma this stuff because I didn't want to hurt her feelings since she still gets sad over our real dad sometimes."

Declan, completely blindsided by Noah's wording and his level of maturity, desperately tried to hold it together as he set the tenderizer down, wiped his hands off and picked up Noah, setting him up on the counter.

"Noah, buddy, I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'm not going to leave you and I'm not going to die. Not for a long, long, _long_ time, so sorry to tell ya, you're stuck with me. But I don't want you, your momma, or your sister to worry about me. I'll stop, okay?"

Without another word, Noah reached out and hugged Declan briefly before jumping down off the counter and giving him a fist bump.

"Okay, enough of the mushy crap, you said I could help." Noah exclaimed excitedly, causing Declan to laugh out loud.

"I did. You're going to batter the beef here in a minute."

Noah groaned and made a dramatic show of his irritation beside.

"Hey, cut it out," Declan chastised as he began pounding the beef once more.

"But I want to do something _now_ ," he whined petulantly. "I'm bored."

"You want something to do, huh?" Declan questioned, thinking for a minute. "Okay, grab the sack of potatoes out of the pantry and start peeling."

"Ugh, potatoes?" Noah replied flatly as Declan fixed him with a hard stare.

"You wanted something to do; there you go. Don't like it, you can get started on your homework."

 ***~STA~***

Clayton couldn't wait for Declan to return to carrying his own workload. Working the doubles day to day were damn near killing him. By the time he finished up with the ranch duties out at the barn and had made it home, he'd had no energy left. Renee did what she could, but she had the kids to tend to, and while his niece and overzealous nephew were huge helps when it came to feeding, it hardly made a dent. He'd never realized exactly how much Declan did on a day to day basis and now that he had, he was giving the guy a long overdue raise. Every muscle and bone in his body ached with the toll the workload had taken on him.

Stepping out into the evening, fresh out of the shower and beer in hand, he slumped down onto one of his porch rockers, sighing heavily from the long hours of the day. He'd eventually relaxed so much he'd begun to doze off, until Renee came busting through the screen door, handing him the phone with a bitter look upon her face.

"Who is it?" He asked quietly, his brow furrowed.

"Your father," she spat, plopping down in the rocker beside him.

Clayton cursed under his breath, knowing full well what the old man was calling about. Slamming his beer back, he took a second before answering.

"Yeah?"

"Just when the hell were you planning to tell me what your sister's been up to?" Stetson McKenzie growled through the phone.

"Uh, I wasn't because it isn't anybody's business, including yours," Clayton told him nonchalantly.

" _Excuse me?_ What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me. Your hatred ruined the both of them once before so badly it damn near killed them both. I'm not letting you do it again," he answered firmly. "I never should have let it the first time, and I never should have let you get to me, blackmail me the way you did."

"Well, apparently you've learned fucking nothing over the years. Kopus is a piece of trash that will only end up hurting your sister. She had a great relationship going with Cullen Blackford and you just sat back and let Kopus move in on her once again. You know how it's going to end, don't you?"

" _A great relationship?!_ So that's where you heard it from. That son of a bitch you're praising? Yeah, he was fucking beating Charleigh! He was a goddamn drunk that laid hands on my sister. And you want to know who stopped him in his tracks and sent his beaten and battered ass packing? Declan. The man you've spent over a decade sabotaging. He made an example of Blackford at a cookout in front of half the town. Everyone saw what was happening and Cullen had his hand raised, poised to hit her again in front of God and everybody when Declan pulled him off of her. And if you think that's the end of it, think again. Cullen and Lisa—Declan's wife—were having an affair and no one knows for how long. The truth of their relationship came out that night as well. I'd say they've had enough, wouldn't you?"

"I don't give a shit whose ass he beat or what he has or hasn't done, he's a bad omen to this family and I won't stop until he's gone. Matter of fact, I'm done with you allowing him anywhere near the ranch. You're going to get rid of him."

"I'm not firing him, I'll tell you that right now. If it weren't for him, this damn ranch would've gone to hell a long ass time ago. He's been doing your job for you while you travel the world, sinking yourself into every random whore that happens to cross your path! I can't even recall the last time you were here, and that alone should tell you something! I haven't seen Charleigh smile this brightly since before you destroyed her a decade ago. And he's the reason for it. Declan is who makes her happy—the only one who's _ever truly_ made her happy—and if you'd pull your damn head out of your ass you'd see that. That man is the best for not only her but also your grandkids. And don't think she doesn't know about what you've done either, because she does."

"There's nothing you could ever say or do that would convince me Kopus is good for our family, Clayton. I can't believe you're sticking up for that low life piece of shit, or even talking to me in the manner you are. I don't need you. Never did. I'll get it done myself."

"You know what isn't good for our family?" Clayton responded, his voice raising. "YOU! The only reason this ranch is still running and money is still coming in is because Declan's a goddamn workhorse and doesn't stop until the job is done. And your daughter you're so hell bent on ruining is the only reason you haven't been disbarred! If we really wanted to, we could completely destroy your perfect little fantasy world so if I were you, I'd think twice about making threats against _anyone._ You might say you're my father by blood but ever since mom died, you've been nothing more than a fucking sperm donor. If anything, and I do mean _anything_ , happens to Declan or Charleigh, I _will_ destroy you. And you know I fucking can," Clayton seethed, hanging his phone up and taking a large pull from his beer and chunking the can to the ground.

"Clay?" Renee questioned softly, approaching him from behind cautiously.

"Who the hell does he think he is? Who does he think _I_ am?! I'm not his fucking bitch and I'll be damned if he's gonna..."

Renee quickly stepped in front of him and took his face in her hands. "Honey, you couldn't have made the way you feel any clearer than you just did. He's a prick, always has been and now he knows that not only are we all on to his game but we're ready to fight back against him. Don't let his bullshit get to you, okay?"

Clayton searched her eyes, taking in a deep breath and feeling his anxiety start to ebb.

"Babe, can I have a second alone? I need to call Declan." Renee nods and begins to walk off but not before Clayton grasps her hand and pulls her back for a kiss.

His blood still boiled inside though. His father had always had the unique capability of pissing him off more than anyone else. And the retaliation he'd threatened his father with tonight had been a long time coming, years in the making.

"Hey man, what's up?" Declan said with a laugh.

"The kids or Charleigh around?"

"Not at the moment no. Char is sleeping, Riley's in the bath and Noah ran to his room to start on his homework. Why?"

"You got a minute?"

"Yeah I got a minute. What's up?"

"Dad called," Clayton told him with a dreadful tone. Declan, who'd been mashing potatoes, stopped and stepped outside. "Cullen called him and outed you and Charleigh. He now knows."

"Yeah, and?"

"He's still being a prick, D. I tried reasoning with him, Rae can attest to that but he wasn't hearing it. He even told me to fire you, which I—in so many words—basically told him to fuck off, I wasn't doing it. I pleaded your case for you."

"Clay, man, I don't give a shit what he says or does to me anymore. Nothing I'll ever do will be good enough for him because he had his mind made up about me years ago. I'll continue keeping his damn ranch alive because I know how much this place means to Charleigh, but that motherfucker is dead to me. He won't win; not this time. And I don't give a fuck if he's your father or not. I _will_ kill the son of a bitch if he threatens me or my relationship with Charleigh one more time."

"Good, so we're on the same page. I told him if anything happened to you or your relationship with Charleigh, I would ruin him and he knows I can fucking do it too."

"Did he allude to anything he has planned?"

"No, but you can bet your ass he's going to be flying back soon. Look, maybe we should hold off on telling..."

"Not doing it, man. I've seen and know all too well the consequences of hiding things from her. I never should have hidden all the bullshit years ago, and I refuse to repeat the same damn mistake again. I promised her there wouldn't be any more secrecy and I meant it. I'll talk to her tonight."

"Declan, man, I just don't want it to backfire on you. Considering he's the one that blew y'all apart the first time, the threat of him coming back and doing it again right when she's started to trust you again...I don't know."

"Clayton, just worry about you and yours. Your sister and I will be fine, all right? Just chill a bit. I appreciate you giving me the heads up though and having my back."

"You gonna have any leftovers?"

Declan couldn't help but laugh. "For you, no. I'll catch you tomorrow."

After hanging up, Declan roughly rubbed a hand over his face as he tried desperately not to let the news get to him. Granted, he knew in his heart this was how it would always be, but he'd be lying to himself if he said there wasn't a small part of him that had hoped Stetson had seen the error of his ways and they could somehow work it out. Instances like this were exactly the reason he'd begun fighting in the first place, but now he'd made promises to the kids—and for him, doing so was as if he'd promised Charleigh herself. With a heavy, exhausted breath, Declan headed back inside, resuming his task of mashing the potatoes.

"Hey, you said I could mash 'em!" Noah exclaimed as he came bouncing into the kitchen, scowling at Declan.

"Sorry, bud. They were done and you were still doing your homework. Here, you wanna finish? I need to get the poppers out of the oven."

Noah's eyes bulged as he took over mashing and watched Declan. "Geez, how much food did you make?"

"Just the regular stuff, dude. We've got the entrée, the mash, the poppers, corn and some pie if you're into dessert."

"This isn't Thanksgiving! What are we going to do with all of that food?"

Declan looked down at him comically, "Eat it, DUH!" He then dipped his hand in the bowl of flour used for battering the beef and threw a handful at Noah's head.

"Mom is so going to kill you!" Noah exclaimed, smearing potato on Declan's shirt, then grabbing a handful of flour, launching it into Declan's face—sending him into a comical fit of coughing and sneezing.

"Probably but not before I make you regret that," Declan half growled, half laughed as he grabbed a handful of flour and went after Noah, finally catching him from behind on the other side of the kitchen table. One of his strides were equal to three of Noah's, so he hardly had to work at all. Once he had Noah tightly in his grasp, he slammed the fistful of flour all over the side of his face, the boy struggling with all he had.

" _DECLAN WYATT KOPUS!_ " Charleigh's chastising voice echoed around the kitchen, bringing Declan to a complete stop as his head slowly turned up at her like a deer in the headlights.

"Oh you're dead," Noah teased as Declan dropped him to the floor with a thud.

"Shut up," he ground out. "Hey sweetheart, how was your nap?" Declan questioned in a sickeningly sweet tone, his fear coming through just a bit.

"What the hell is going on in here? What did you to do my kitchen?"

"He started it!" Noah shouted, punching at Declan's arms.

"Man, you're supposed to have my back! I thought we were buds!" Declan exclaimed in shock as he scowled down at Noah then looked to Charleigh who still had him fixed with an angry stare. Giving up and realizing he wasn't going to win this battle, he shrugged and nervously smiled at her, hoping for the best.

She stood for a few minutes, glaring at him then Declan saw it all melt away as she brought her hand to her mouth, her shoulders beginning to shake in laughter.

Slowly, Charleigh approached Declan, chuckling as she took in his flour covered face and shirt smeared with what looked to possibly be potatoes. He cautiously reached out, hooking his hand on her hip as he drew her closer.

"Punish him, momma! Ground him!" Noah shouted.

"Noah, go get yourself cleaned up for dinner," she told him sharply as she then turned back to Declan, whose smirk alluded to where his mind was.

"So, uh...you gonna punish me, Char?"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She smiled, inching closer and kissing him deliciously, yet briefly, then pulled away with a giggle. "Look at you, Declan," she laughed. "How old are you again?"

"Hey, he was..." He began to argue as though she'd offended him.

"Gah," she groaned immaturely, "I can't stay mad at you when you're being so impossibly adorable with the kids! You don't play fair!" She ended, lightly slapping at his arm.

"And you love it," he teased then kissed her cheek and took a step back. "Now really, did you get enough rest?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you for being so thoughtful and cooking dinner."

"Anytime, baby. And don't worry about the mess. I'll get it cleaned up after dinner."

"No, no you won't. You've done enough and you need to put your leg up, okay? I got it."

"Charleigh, you are not cleaning up after the mess I made."

"Fine then, you can help me. Is everything done?"

"Yeah, I've just got to add a few things to the potatoes and we're good to go."

"Tell me what to do so you can go get cleaned up."

"That completely defeats the purpose of me cooking for you if I have you finish off one of the sides," he told her flatly, playfully slapped her ass and turned on her to go and complete the potatoes. Now with her in the kitchen, Clayton's words were starting to plant seeds of doubt in his mind. He knew in his heart he wouldn't let Stetson get to him this time and was in it for the long haul with Charleigh, but Clay had a point. Given what she'd already suffered at his hands and how new they were now, would she have enough faith in him to trust he wouldn't make the same mistake twice?

"Touche. Have the kids started on homework?" She questioned, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Noah did, and Riley should have by now. She was in the bath earlier."

"Riley? In the bath? No," Charleigh exclaimed, feigning shock.

"I know, right?" He snorted. "Mindblowing. Hey, what are you doing woman?" Declan barked, as he glanced in her direction to see her with a towel and the Lysol.

"Breathe, D, I'm just cleaning off and setting the table. This is so backwards, you realize that, right?"

"What?"

"You're the one with a bum leg, I should be the one taking care of all of this."

"Baby, in case you haven't noticed, I'm getting around pretty good and if Higgins would let me, I'd take this blasted brace off _now_ ," he answered pointedly as he began making the plates. "Kids eat poppers?"

"Noah will, Riley's too sensitive to the heat," she replied, returning to the sink to put up the Lysol and towel, and then spinning to steal a firm, lingering grab of his perfectly rounded behind. "So, I guess I should be calling you my knight in shining armor?"

"Okay, one," he started, walking over to the fridge and grabbing a water, "You're going to pay for that later," he winked as he took a large pull from the bottle. "And two, I wouldn't say that taking care of you the way any good man should is reason enough to be referred to as such, but if you insist."

Charleigh came to him, pulling and twisting the sides of his shirt as she looked up at him with what he recognized all too well as love shining in her eyes, yet there was a hint of sadness.

"Well, when you've forgotten what it feels like to be taken care of, to be truly loved—like me- it tends to be a pretty big deal. So, yeah, Declan, I insist."

Before he had a chance to respond, both kids strutted into the kitchen and hungrily scanned over the food sitting on the table. "This conversation isn't finished," he whispered, lightly pecking her lips then gently rubbing her back as he held her close for a short hug.

"Where's the pie?" Noah whined loudly.

Charleigh's eyes widened then locked on Declan's with scrutiny. "Pie? _You_ made pie?"

"Yes," he sneered back, "I made pie. Can't make a dinner like this without fixing dessert for later."

"And you call _me_ Betty Crocker?" She laughed, "I'm just surprised, that's all. Can't say I've ever had one of your pies."

"Well darlin', there's a first time for everything. All right, time to dig in. Noah, you'll get your pie after you've finished dinner and not a minute before," he told him firmly, arching his brow and letting the boy know he meant business.

After everyone had sat down, Charleigh led them in saying Grace but not five minutes after, Riley exclaimed Declan had promised not to fight anymore. Charleigh's movements ceased as she looked from Riley to Declan quizzically. He hadn't mentioned anything to her, not that she was complaining but she honestly wished he'd have taken vengeance against the asshole who'd injured him first before saying he was finished.

"Is that true? You're out?" Charleigh breathed, clutching tightly to the hand he'd outstretched across the table.

"Promised these two rascals," he smiled, chucking his thumb in Riley's direction, who playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "We'll talk tonight, promise," he mouthed to her, giving her hand a squeeze then going back to his meal.

"Momma, I'm sorry to tell you this, but his chicken fried steak kicks your's butt!" Noah mumbled around a mouthful.

Charleigh laughed as Declan nearly choked mid-swallow. "Thank you, bud, but that wasn't fair to..."

"D, it's okay. He's just speaking his mind...like someone else I know. And he's not lying, this is amazing," she moaned around a forkful.

Sometime later, after the kids had cleared the table, Charleigh sent Noah off for his shower and Riley to clean her room. When she'd risen to start cleaning up the kitchen, Declan had started to rise and help her but the grimace upon his face as he tried to stand told her all she needed to know. He'd pushed himself too far.

"All right, you can either sit and talk to me while I clean, or you can go and get the bath started. Either way, I'm not letting you stand for a minute longer, your leg can't take anymore today and its written all over you," Charleigh barked at him as she sternly gazed up at him.

"Not gonna argue with you this time, baby. I definitely outdid myself today I think. Can you, uh, help me into the bathroom?"

Knowing already how that would end, she cocked her brow high at him and went to grab his cane from the bedroom. "Not this time, handsome," she answered, handing it to him. "I do that and I'll never make it back in here to clean. But if you're hurting that badly, take a pill, lay down, and I'll start the bath once I'm finished up in here."

Without another word, Declan craned his neck down to kiss her softly then as he pulled back, he became lost in her eyes and feared it may be the last time she allowed him this close after he told her what he needed to tonight. But if she did react badly, he wouldn't be letting her go without a fight. He would make her see this time was different. Her hand, chilled from the cool water of the sink, slid up in his neck to cup his cheek, worry in her eyes.

"Declan? Honey, what's wrong?"

He stared for a moment longer before sighing heavily. "Some stuff happened tonight while you were sleeping that I need to talk to you about, that's all. I'm good, promise. Just hurry, please?" He pleaded softly.

Charleigh didn't like the look in his eyes, the trepidation, the fear. It wasn't something she was accustomed to seeing on him. "I don't like the way you're looking at me right now, Declan. What happened?"

"Baby, I don't want to tell you now and then go to the back of the house while you're left in here with the wheels turning in your mind. I want to be able to tell you and just be with you, hold you close because believe me, that's all I fucking want right now," he told her, his voice cracking and eyes beginning to sting. _Am I seriously about to cry?!_

"You're starting to scare me and you're shaking, D. Talk to me, honey," she urged him, moving closer to him.

"Clay got a call from Stetson today. He knows, Char," Declan answered, swallowing thickly.

"So? What did he want?" Charleigh fired back, anger starting to dwell in her eyes.

"He wants me fired and us to hate each other. Same he's always wanted. Clay said he had my back and stuck it to him, but if anything, it only pissed him off further and I have no idea what's coming or what he's going to hit me with this time..."

"You're upset, D..."

"I don't want to lose you again, I _can't_ , baby. I refuse to let history repeat itself. When I was talking to Clay, I told him I would talk to you and we'd be fine, but fucking doubt crept in and I just..."

"Declan, look at me," she softly told him as he gradually lifted his head which had been tucked down to his chest. "We love each other and there's nothing he can do to change that. He can't hurt you or I anymore and it's time we show him that. There was a time where if you'd told me this I'd have ran as far away as I could, but not now. You don't need to prove anything to me, I can see it written all over you. So, if these tears are because you think I don't trust you, or I'm afraid of you hurting me again, dry them up. I promise you, I'm okay. Ready for a fight, but okay," she whispered, stretching up onto her toes and softly kissing him again, a kiss which Declan briefly deepened before hugging her tightly and hobbling to the bedroom.

Once Charleigh was sure he'd made it to the back, she pulled out her cell phone as she began to wash. Over the past few weeks she'd been stewing over the idea of doing something special for him to try and show him he mattered, and that although he hadn't been able to do much, she appreciated all he _had_ done by way of helping her out and bringing happiness back into her life. The one thing Charleigh knew meant the world to him and had in many ways become his proverbial 'baby' was his Harley and it being totaled had wrecked him. He didn't even need to talk about it for her to see it. He missed his bike. Used to, Charleigh would occasionally stumble across him out in the barn working on the bike, but it had been a while since anything of the sort had happened. Much like when he'd work out in the barn, Charleigh would admire him from afar, wanting nothing more than for him to swoop her up and take her on the back of the bike, just like he had when they were together so long ago, but it just hadn't been possible because of where they were in their lives. They'd talk a little while she bestowed attention on Winchester and then she'd make an excuse to leave, which she knew he'd always seen straight through. She had hope that surprising him with his fully restored Harley would once again bring the uninhibited, wild side of Declan back out.

"Hey girl, what's up?" Renee's cheerful voice greeted through the phone.

"Is Clay around? I need to ask him a question, and you too."

"Yeah, he's right here, just let mee...okay now you're on speaker."

"What's going on, Sis?" Clayton questioned.

"Is there any way at all that you can get your hands on the Harley?"

"First, can you say random? And second, why are you being so quiet?" Clay asked, losing focus.

"Can you or not?" She laughed.

"Yeah, it's down at Bill's wreckage yard."

"What are my chances of having it rebuilt and restored?"

"Oh, it can be done, but it's going to cost you big. Wait, does he even know you're calling me about this?"

"No, and it's to stay that way, you hear me? I want to surprise him once he loses the brace."

"Oh man, D's gonna shit! But yeah, give Rodney a call at Miller's Body Shop and he can tell you what kind of dough you're looking at spending."

"Okay, thanks, Clay. Oh...so Dad called?"

"Don't call him that, Char. The man doesn't give a damn about me or you, and is only focused on destroying Declan. Which, the more I've thought about it, none of this has ever had to do with him believing Declan was going to hurt you. It all has to do with preserving Dad's precious reputation, one which we've kept squeaky clean all these fucking years. It's Declan's last name. Dad had been fine throughout your entire relationship but the second he learned Declan was going to propose, he showed his true colors. He didn't want his daughter to take Declan's last name because he sees that name as a bad omen, one to ruin his reputation."

"Well, he won't have to wait for me to take Declan's name, because I'll ruin his damn rep for him. And if I didn't care so much about this place, I'd ruin it too. Declan told me you took up for him against Dad tonight and I want to thank you for that."

"Sis, I did a hell of a lot more than that and I think it's safe to say he'll be coming after all four of us now. And I don't know what all D told you, but I want you to know that initially, I suggested keeping it from you because I didn't want you to worry about D leaving again and hurting you. Declan hit me back with a resounding no and told me he refused to hide anything from you, so I don't know how well your conversation went, but if you had any doubts, I'm telling you there's none to be had."

"Thank you, Clay for being honest at least, although I can't say I'm thrilled with your original suggestion. He and I are fine. He was scared to death of telling me so I had to pull it out of him, but we are...we're good."

"Girl, he's going to be over the moon when he sees that bike," Renee squealed, causing more bubbles of laughter to escape out of Charleigh.

"I hope so, Rae. Well, again, thanks y'all. I'm gonna finish up the kitchen here. I'll catch y'all later."

Feeling hopeful, she slid her phone into her back pocket, adding the last of the dishes—which she'd managed to finish washing—to the dishwasher. Glancing at the time, she realized it was time the kids got in bed. She set down the towel, and as she began down the hallway, she stopped before her closed bedroom door, stealthily cracking it open to peer in at her beautiful man. Her breath caught for a moment as she ogled Declan, who'd removed his shirt as well as his pants, leaving him clad in nothing but a pair of black, snug boxer briefs which hugged his impressive package deliciously. Charleigh suddenly found herself both starved and parched once again, as she salivated at the sheer magnificence of the man who lay before her, completely oblivious as he laughed at something he was watching on tv.

Just as quietly as she'd opened it, she shut it and continued down the hall to Noah's room. She knew that had she gone in the bedroom and done as she wanted, it would have been another two hours before she resurfaced to put them to bed.

"Noah, sweetie, time for bed. Go ahead and turn the XBOX off," she softly called to him, his head of dark curls whipping around to face her.

"Can I go say goodnight to Declan?" He asked innocently.

"Of course you can, just be quick and make sure you knock first, oh and be careful, his leg is really hurting tonight."

"Did he fall again?" Noah comically questioned with a roll of his eyes.

"No, he just did too much today, that's all. Now go because I'm sure your sister is going to want to tell him goodnight too." She then watched as he ran down the hall, knocking and announcing himself, waiting a few minutes before opening the door. The whole purpose behind them knocking was to give Declan time to pull the blankets over himself as he was only in his underwear and didn't feel it was appropriate attire in front of the children—well, mostly Riley.

Charleigh then crossed the hall to Riley's room, only to find her sweet girl already passed out asleep in bed. It wasn't completely unheard of for either of the kids to crash out early, but since Declan had—in so many words—moved in, the kids had both been rather difficult in getting to bed. She approached her, pressing her hand to her forehead to be sure there wasn't something she was missing, which turned out to be free of fever, and then pulled the quilt up over her small body, the most angelic, peaceful look upon her face. Charleigh ran a hand lovingly over her head and gently kissed her cheek before stepping out and shutting the door behind her.

"Seriously? She's already asleep?" Noah shrieked behind her, startling her and making them both giggle for a minute.

"Yes, she's sleeping, just as you should be right now, mister," she told him, gently urging him into his room.

"Momma?" He asked once he slipped into bed, and she hovered over him for a goodnight hug. "Is Declan really going to stop fighting?"

"Well, he told you he would, didn't he? In fact, I'm pretty sure he promised you."

"He did, but what if he's lying? What if he breaks the promise?"

Charleigh smiled and tapped the tip of his nose. "Noah, he wouldn't lie to you, and he definitely wouldn't break his promise to you and Riley, that I can promise you. Have I ever lied to you?"

"No," he told her quietly, "I'm just scared that man is going to come back and hurt him again."

"I know, sweetie, but you know what? If that man tries to come after him again, he's got me, Uncle Clay, and Aunt Rae to go through first. Everything will be fine, I swear."

"Okay. If he does and you need it, my new tomahawk is in the bottom drawer of my nightstand."

Charleigh erupted into laughter and bent down to kiss his cheek, then, as she whispered she loved him, he repeated the words and watched as she slowly turned off his light and shut the door.

If anything good had come out of Declan's accident aside from them reconciling, it had to be the way in which it had brought the intensity of Noah and Riley's feelings for him to the forefront. They were genuinely worried something bad was going to befall their best friend and they were truly afraid. But Declan had done a great job at trying to calm their anxiety and fears, hers as well.

And now, with nothing else standing in her way, she took in a deep breath, shut the rest of the lights in the house off, locked the doors then headed straight back into the bedroom, once again opening it stealthily and peering in at him. Just as before, her heart went into her throat and she was overcome with the love she felt for him and just how much she'd missed having him in her life like this. Squaring her shoulders, and unable to stop herself, she quietly moved in, shut and locked the door behind her and quickly, alerting Declan to her presence as he averted his attention to her.

"Hey baby, kids down? I'm sorry I didn't start the...Char?" He questioned, noticing the dark color of her eyes, which he knew only meant one thing.

Charleigh didn't respond, her movements were fast and with purpose as she approached the bed, jumping up and on top of Declan, straddling the thickness of his thighs as she leaned forward to kiss him roughly before drawing back and groping him tightly, eliciting a loud groan from his throat. She didn't stop there. Never breaking eye contact, she slipped her free hand beneath the waist band just enough to expose his thick tip and with a wicked smirk sunk her mouth over him, suckling and swirling her tongue around the ends of the piercing. A guttural moan escaped his mouth as he sunk his hands into her hair and bucked his hips up into her face. Craving her to be closer, Declan cupped the back of her head, firmly tugging her up to him, his cock slipping from her mouth with a pop and her body extending to lay flat against his own as he rained down lust-driven, hot kisses on her mouth, his tongue invading her completely as his other hand splayed against her ass and dug in with a firm grasp.

"Christ I could do exactly this for the rest of my life and never want for anything more," Charleigh breathed against his lips, her eyes rolling back in her head as he then moved his attention to her neck.

"You're going to be the fucking death of me, baby," he whispered against the hollow of her throat, his tongue flicking outward to tease at her flesh.

"I'm sorry, couldn't help m-myself," she whimpered, sitting up and pulling him with her, wrapping her arms around his neck and stealing another kiss, this time raking her teeth over his bottom lip. "How about that bath?"

"Okay, but sweetheart, this isn't finished," he growled, thrusting himself against her once more before letting her go and watching as she sauntered into the bathroom, casting a lustful glance back over her shoulder at him.


	7. Chapter 7

The light of the moon shone bright upon the ranch as Clayton paced back and forth along the length of his porch, hand scratching vigorously at his head. He knew that their world—their being him, Renee and their kids, and Charleigh, Declan, and the twins that might as well have been their kids—was about to be completely turned on its axis. He had no doubt they'd all come out of it just fine, and mostly unscathed, but there was no doubt it was going to get really ugly and messy before it became better. As it was, he hadn't the slightest clue what his asshole father was cooking up but just the knowledge of him working with Cullen made his stomach sick. Cullen Blackford had single-handedly nearly broken his sister—until Declan interfered—and now, with the help of Declan's supposedly scorned wife—at least that was how Lisa was portraying herself these days—they'd had to make countless repairs to the barn due to the duo's vengeance and had suffered countless other attacks, both financially and emotionally. He doubted Stetson was aware of the damage Cullen had done to the ranch and barn itself, but judging by how badly he was out to get Declan, it wouldn't have surprised Clayton in the least if Stetson did know and tossed to the backburner.

Doing the only thing he could manage to think of for the moment, he pulled his phone out.

"This is Lieutenant Jenkins," the authorative voice of his old high school buddy answered.

"Hey, Paul, it's Clayton. Man, look. I'm sorry to be calling you at this hour, but I really need a favor," Clayton told him.

"Damn, I have seen you in a while. How's it going?"

"Things have been a hell of a lot better than they're about to be, I'll tell you that much."

"Shit, McKenzie, what's up?"

"My old man is up to something and it involves Cullen Blackford and Lisa Kopus, soon to _not_ be Kopus. I need you to keep your eyes and ears open and don't trust any tips you have called in from anonymous people, my father, or those two assholes."

"Dude, isn't she Declan's wife?"

"Wow, still quick as a whip, I see," Clayton laughed sarcastically, "She was, Dec and Charleigh are back together. Long story, bro, but cutting that short, it's the reason my old man isn't to be trusted and your department should have the shit we've put up with at the hands of Cullen and Lisa well documented."

"Blackford's a piece of shit anyway, McKenzie, I wouldn't believe a word that man says. I'll be on the lookout and I'll make sure everyone's aware, but your old man? Clayton, he's a fucking attorney. There's a high chance I won't be able to stop him."

"Not even if he makes false accusations and claims? His end goal is to have Declan locked up, or worse, killed."

"There isn't much I can do until he tries something but I'll do my best. I _would_ advise you and Charleigh to gather as much as you can against him in that regard in the case something happens. Has he done anything in the past?"

"The old man is the reason Declan did what he did all those years ago, the reason he and Char split up. He was being blackmailed by the old man and so was I, only his form of blackmail on me was disowning me. And Char just found out about everything. Like I said, long story, but it took them long enough and they've been through a ton of shit to get to where they are now."

"Gotta tell you, McKenzie, it's gonna be nice seeing those two together again. Tell you what, why don't you have them come down to the station tomorrow and I'll take a statement about all that's gone on and what exactly they've been threatened with. It would most likely be considered heresay until we have concrete proof of your old man taking action against them, but it's better than not having any of it documented."

"As I told you before, we have everything from the past month documented already at the station. I'll let them know, though."

"So now I'm going to tell you just as you did me, keep your eyes and ears open. Eventually, he'll dig himself a grave he can't get out of."

"Well, thanks man. I know I didn't really give you a lot to go on. We just gotta act fast if we have any hope of stopping him. I don't know how far he's truly willing to go to do away with Declan."

"Any idea why he's so hell bent on taking him out? He's always been a stand-up guy to me," Jenkins questioned.

"That's a question I've asked myself for years. He says it's about his father, and how he believes without a doubt that Declan is going to inevitably turn out like his father and hurt Charleigh, or worse. Which is somewhat ironic that he's working with Blackford, considering how he'd beat her for months. I tend to think it has to do with him trying to preserve his reputation. There's no denying this town still holds Declan wrongfully accountable for his father's crimes, they always have, but outside of his brief stint with alcohol years ago and what he did to Charleigh—which again, we now know was of my old man's doing—he's done nothing to warrant the hate and judgment this town holds against him. I don't think the old man wants anyone in our family associated with that last name; he swears it's a bad omen."

"If that's the case, why the hell has he kept Kopus on at the ranch all these years?"

"Because he's a goddamn work horse! Declan is the hardest working ranch hand I've ever seen and, man, everyone in this town are no better than my old man. As soon as they need help, who's the first person they call?"

"You have a point, McKenzie. Ever thought about having a town meeting and putting it all to rest?"

"Jenkins, what purpose would that serve other than making a spectacle out of him?"

"True. Look, I just received a call on the radio so I've got to let you go and check on it. You free for drinks anytime soon?"

"Anytime, and if you can't reach me, door's always open here."

Once he'd hung up the phone, Clayton huffed out a large breath, startling when he felt two arms go around his waist. The familiar, alluring scent of his wife's perfume permeated his senses as he took hold of her hand and pulled her around to face him. Her beautiful mahogany eyes swam with questions and concern, as her platinum blonde locks framed her heart-shaped face. After a few moments, she started to smile.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Kids in bed?" He asked her playfully, arching his brows.

"Mmm, that depends," she answered, calculatingly as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"On?"

"How much time you can spare," she whispered, nipping at his jaw. "Wouldn't want to impede on any prior appointments you may have," she joked, knowing full well he hadn't intentionally been ignoring her, he'd just had a full plate.

Clayton grew serious as he hoisted her up, her legs going around his waist snugly as he backed her into a post on the porch.

"Lucky for you, I've got a clear schedule, I'm all yours, _all night,"_ he growled just before their mouths collided hungrily, hands everywhere.

Sometime later, as they lay in bed, both fully sated and on the verge of sleep, Renee raked her nails against his bare chest, tracing patterns and humming in satisfaction. It had been too long since she and Clay had had the time to just be together between work, kids, and now adding the familial drama regarding his father.

"You're awful quiet tonight, Rae. I didn't completely wear you out, did I? I fully intended another round, babe," Clayton mumbled, pulling her tighter into his side.

"No, oh no, it's not that," Renee answered enthusiastically. "I just, being with you like this? I miss it, Clay, and we don't get nights like this as often as I'd like. Things have been so tense, so stressful lately I just...I know you said you offered for Char and Declan to go on vacation, but I was thinking, why can't we go at the same time? And not together, I just mean for all of us to take vacation at the same time. I don't think it would kill us to close the ranch for a week or two."

"No, it wouldn't, however we'd have to hire on security or surveillance during that time as I don't trust anyone around here not to come and..."

"I understand that and I agree, I just...please, Clay? We could use a break from all of this."

"I'll see what I can get worked out, okay, darlin'? I'm not even sure they're taking me up on that offer. This vacation you're asking for, do you want to bring the kids or have your parent's watch them?"

"I don't know, Clay. It really wouldn't matter as long as we get our time together," she murmured, leaning in for a kiss.

"You know what?" Clayton started nonchalantly, "Let's just do it. I'll make arrangements in the morning, okay? I could use some time away from here and I do, I miss my wife," he continued, caressing the side of her cheek affectionately. "And speaking of missing my wife," he teased with a smile, his dimples creasing deeply as he moved from her side to hover her, hips nestled between her legs and her arms went up and around him, raking the tops of his shoulders.

"I love you, Clayton McKenzie," she whispered against his lips just as sealed their mouths together and slid home.

 ***~STA~***

The strong, rhythmic beating of Declan's heart pulsated against her shoulder blade as Charleigh all but melted into the safety of his strong embrace, enveloped by the warmth of the bathtub. She lay nestled between his legs, her resting against his chest. His muscled right arm lay draped across her waist, his calloused fingers lazily tracing patterns against her hip while the other hand squeezed a sponge of hot water over the both of them, relaxing them both into a peaceful state, nearly putting them to sleep. The pain from having been on his leg all day had begun to ebb, and Charleigh? Well she couldn't think of much with him trailing hot, open mouth kisses painstakingly slowly back and forth along her neck and jaw, suckling here and there, occasionally hitting her ear. The hair from his beard scratched softly at her skin, sending electric currents to her nerve endings, making her stomach flutter and other bits throb with want. Eventually, she wriggled even further back into his chest and took both of his hands, lacing their fingers together and pulling his arms completely around her as she turned her head up to him for a lengthy, savory kiss, their tongues tenderly dancing together.

"Mmm, you taste good," he mumbled against her lips as he slowly pulled away, pressing his forehead against the side of her head.

"Probably all that pie I ate," she smiled, joining him in laughter. "So, what you said at the table tonight with the kids, did you mean it? Are you really out, Declan?"

"Baby, you know I'd never make them a promise I couldn't keep. I'm out. I'll even call Mando now to confirm, if you want me to. I just...I think the hardest part of this will be not getting revenge on the asshole who did this shit to me. But I'd rather live with that than the knowledge of having hurt the kids, or you _again."_ A few minutes passed between them in silence before Declan tightened his hold on her. "Sweetheart, I've always known my involvement with the club bothered you, but why didn't you ever tell me just how much?"

Angling her body so she could look up into his eye curiously, she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I talked with both kids tonight, separately, and Noah told me you'd get upset and cry when I...well, when I'd come back in less than favorable condition. I had no idea it was doing that to you, and I can't tell you how much hearing that bothered me."

"Declan, you and I weren't of each other's concern for quite some time—or at least we shouldn't have been. It honestly wasn't your responsibility to worry about how I felt, and it wasn't mine to clue you into it either, and for a long time, truthfully? I didn't think you'd care, I didn't think anything I said or how I felt would have stopped you. I know now my assumption in that regard was wrong, and I'm sorry for ever thinking that of you. Seeing you battered and bruised after fight night hurt me, yes, but I'm a big girl and I handled it in my own way."

Lowering his mouth to hers briefly then pulling away with a caress of her cheek, Declan regretfully smiled. "Never said you couldn't, baby. I know you can. But I think I've done enough of that to last a lifetime, don't you?"

"Can we make a promise to each other, D?" She asked him softly, her hand trailing along his forearm, stopping to gently grip him at the crease of his elbow. "Can we not talk about what happened to us anymore? I don't want you degrading or punishing yourself anymore and I'm tired of going back because nothing positive comes from it. I've forgiven you and it's time you try to forgive yourself."

"I can promise not to mention it, but I can't make any promises on forgiving myself, Charleigh. Not sure I'll ever be there."

Rather than responding, she turned just slightly, sinking into his warmth with a sigh as she hugged one of his arms tight around her and then let his other resume squeezing the heated water over them with a sponge. She let her head lull back against his broad shoulders, exposing her throat to him. Declan's eyes closed from the sheer amount of restraint it was taking for him not to just have her right there, right then in the bath tub. He didn't want to do anything but hold her for the moment, to feel her melted against him, sharing the same body heat, same breaths. But then? Then he felt her perfect luscious behind begin to gyrate slowly against him. Biting his lip, and regretful for what he was about to say, Declan moved his hands to still her hips, and pressed his nose to just behind her ear, inhaling the all too familiar scent that was uniquely her—one he'd missed terribly over the years.

"Later, baby, " he breathed into her ear huskily, "Promise, I just want to relax and hold you, we don't get to do this near enough. I think we both needed time like this and..." he softly told her.

"So why haven't we done this sooner?" She quietly moaned as his hands began to travel, one sliding down her abdomen to her sex just once, one of his long fingers dipping inside briefly as his other hand gently groped her breast, all while simultaneously clenching her tight to him. Minutes later, his hands had returned to their positions of earlier as he adjusted himself in the tub, slipping slightly further down, letting his head rest against the edge of the tub, Charleigh taking advantage of the position and kissing his neck.

"Char?" He questioned, eyes closed and head still tilted back.

"I don't wanna stop," she whined, causing his throat and chest to vibrate with his laughter.

"That's not what I was going to say, _like at all,_ " he smiled brightly, "I...ugh, okay now I'm going to ask you to stop, I can't focus," he growled, kissing her firmly.

"What is it?" She asked as she used her foot to turn the faucet on, adding more hot water to the tub as it had begun to chill.

"Have—have you ever, when talking to the kids, referred to me as a father figure in any form?"

The genuinely confused tone of Declan's voice took her off guard as she sat up to look back at him in apprehension.

"Where did that come from?"

"I told you, I talked to them earlier. They both in their own way addressed it, but Noah told me that I'm the only father figure they'd ever really known, and get back here, woman, the fucking air is cold," he exclaimed at the end, reaching and pulling her back to his chest, eliciting a chuckle to escape her.

"That's what they used against you which led to your promising to quit, isn't it?"

"Part of it, yeah. They argued their points and I couldn't really disagree but, I gotta tell you, sweetheart, hearing those words from them, it hit me right here," he choked out, tapping his hand over her heart.

"No. I've never referred to you as such to them, although I've always felt that way about your relationship, Declan. And Noah wasn't wrong. They were too little to have remembered anything about Jaxson, so outside of their Uncle Clay, you really are the only father figure they've ever had. I can't tell you how much those two love you— though I think you already know, and I see you show everyday just how much you care for them. You actually take the time to talk to them, teach them, and you're not afraid to act like a child with them, just as you showed earlier tonight. Most importantly, you're their best friend, honey. I could never thank you enough for all that you've done and do for my babies. Even if I'd wanted to and even if I'd tried, watching you with them over the years has made it impossible for me to ever fall out of love with you, Declan. My heart never stood a chance against the three of you," she whispered with a watery smile as she tangled her fingers deep into his hair and gazed lovingly into his eyes.

"Well, you never realized it before, but this heart always was and will always be yours," he answered with a wink. "There are so many things I want to do with you and the kids. So many trips I want to take, things I want to do with Noah," Declan told her wistfully.

"If you only knew how many times I very nearly asked you to take the kids out camping. I wanted to so badly, but each time I got ready to, my conscience, my morals would rear their ugly head and tell me that doing so wouldn't be right. Not when you were married."

"Char, whether I was married or not shouldn't have made a difference, though we're talking about you here so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I'd have taken them in a heartbeat if you'd only asked me, baby. They ever been before?"

"No. Declan you know how crazy my schedule is during the summer months, and it gets too chilly out there during the fall. I don't know. I also just thought it would be more appropriate for you or Clay to have taken them...mainly you. But Riley's music program is this week so we can start there," she replied with a smile, pecking his lips. Charleigh then slipped into a silent, distant state of mind—her thoughts having indulged in just how happy she was in that very moment with Declan but knowing how easily she could lose it all.

Call it intuition or chock it up to him having read it in the sudden change in her demeanor, but there was something swimming in her eyes that he just knew he needed to pull out of her because whatever it was had changed her mood completely.

"Char, what's wrong, sweetheart? Where'd you go?" He questioned concernedly, tipping her chin up to bring her eyes back to him.

"It's nothing to worry about, Dec, really. I just...everything is going so well and I'm finally happy, happier than I've ever been I think..."

"You're just waiting for it all to come crashing down around you." He finished for her. "Not if we don't let it. He won't win this time, Char. We just need to keep our communication open this time around, mainly me. But I promise you, baby, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me this time;" he murmured.

"And what about Cullen and Lisa? They'll stop at nothing."

"I wouldn't worry about Lisa, my attorney made several filings last week which she should be served with this week. And Cullen? He disobeys the restraining order and he'll be put away."

"You never did tell me what attorney you're using."

"Dobbs and this really isn't a conversation I'd consider relaxing or pleasant either," he chuckled, "Why don't we step out before we both turn to prunes in here, and jump in the shower to wash up?"

"Getting tired of me already?" She joked to which he lightly pinched her side.

"No, I just prefer not to be a prune, smart ass. And to think, I was actually going to let you shave this beard afterwards," Declan teased softly into her ear which caused her head to whip back around, completely headbutting him in the process.

"Oh my God," she rushed, placing her hand against his face and trying her hardest not to laugh, as he held his head and groaned, only gazing out at her with one eye. "Dec, honey, I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"I've taken harder hits than that but damn woman, now I know why you're so stubborn, your head is a fucking brick. Forget it, you're not being rewarded with..."

"Wait, you were serious?" She gasped in awe, her eyes going wide as he winked at her sexily.

"We really need to talk about you interrupting me, you know that?" He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief as she quickly moved in and stole a quick kiss then gazed at him expectantly. "Yes, baby, I was being serious. I think it's time for a change," he answered and he gently pushed her forward a bit.

"What are you..."

"We're getting out and into the shower, remember? But I need your sexy little ass to get out first and help me," he teased as she narrowed her eyes at him and rose out of the tub, squealing when his palm smacked the bare skin of her rear.

"You know, I could always just walk away and leave you to fend for yourself," she threatened, arching a brow at him as he extended his hand.

"Yeah, you could," he agreed, "but you won't. Now help me, please?"

Charleigh just laughed as she took his hand and helped him out, her insides going crazy as once he was standing, he had her body held firmly against his own nakedness, eyes boring down into hers heatedly, both craving the same thing.

"Shower's that way," he breathed huskily, his breath brushing against her lips, pointing his finger behind her head. As she broke the trance they'd slipped into by turning and pulling his hips flush against her behind, she tugged him with her as they hobbled over and into the shower.

 ***~STA~***

"Explain to me how exactly you _forgot_ to mention my son was on board with that piece of shit reuniting with my daughter?" Stetson McKenzie bellowed angrily to Cullen through the phone.

"I didn't think it mattered! It's not like he knows what we're planning or actually has any power to stop it. Don't worry, everything will go according to plan," Cullen answered, rolling his eyes as Lisa clung to his hand, trying to hear what was being said on the other end.

"That's where you fucked up, Blackford. Clayton has friends in the police department. Now that he's turned on me, we're going to have to take further measures because I can assure you, he put in a warning call to his buddies as soon as he got off of the phone with me."

"Further measures? What could we possibly do now? The plant was the best option since they put all the damn restraining orders in place. And don't think I haven't tried going around 'em. Clayton's outside well into the night watching and installed motion lights among other things. I want Kopus put away too but not at the expense of me doing time."

"I'm thinking we need to give Mr. Scherr a call. Give him one last chance to finish the job. And as for the restraining orders and all the other legal mumbo jumbo they put in place, I can just as easily have it lifted. All about who you know," Stetson told him menacingly.

"We could try contacting Mr. Scherr but he's going to have a hell of time getting to him, without sacrificing Charleigh's safety at the same time. Mando, the ring leader of the fight club, is refusing to allow Kopus another fight until he's back to a hundred percent. Last time I checked, he wasn't."

"Look, you son of a bitch, you aren't fooling anyone. Don't think I don't know about you laying hands on my daughter—karma's a bitch and she'll come for you. You could care less about what happens to her, but I'm not going to put her at risk. Charleigh stays in the office ninety percent of the time during the day which leaves Kopus open and vulnerable to attack, Scherr should have no problem."

"You know what, old man, maybe it's time you actually came back home. If you think it's going to be that easy, you're in for a hell of a wake up call. Hell, it took Scherr long enough as it is to actually get the bastard off the road," Cullen huffed with an agitated tone.

"Tread carefully, boy. You may be in my good graces at the moment but just as quickly as I brought you into this, I can take you out. You won't see a fucking dime. If we have to, we'll use Lisa as bait to get him where we want him."

"Use Lisa? You're out of your mind. Not only will I refuse to put her in danger, Kopus would never go for it. He had orders placed against her for a reason. There's nothing we could say or do that would put her in a position to achieve our main goal."

"There is too, so if you'd just shut the hell up for five minutes and let me explain it to you, maybe you'd actually understand..."

 ***~STA~***

"You're completely sure you're okay with this? Once I start, there's no going back," Charleigh warned as she sat before Declan, her legs straddling his hips as a large bowl of water sat between them, clippers in her hand.

"I'm good, baby, but I gotta tell you, I find it funny how you've been after me about this for weeks and—now that I'm giving you the go ahead—you're second guessing it."

"I am _not_ second guessing it! I just don't want to do this and then you regret it, that's all."

"I've told you once already—although I shouldn't have had to—I don't do anything I don't want to do, Char."

"Well, that's great and all Dec, but you aren't the one doing this! I am," she whined petulantly.

Declan then closed his eyes and took her hand which held the clippers, moved the switch to on and as his eyes opened and focused on her widened ones, he brought the clippers to his face and cleared half of his mustache away, leaving them no choice but to finish the job.

"Oh my g..." she began, open mouthed.

"Now, do you believe me?" He questioned, "I'm good, baby, promise."

Charleigh then nervously scooted her hips further in, causing his naturally high-arched brow to peak even further, then with the clippers on, placed them against his jaw, watching then as the hair which had covered his face for the past decade fell away. With each pass of the clippers, she saw a little more of the man she'd fallen in love with all those years ago looking back at her.

When the length was gone, Charleigh set down the clippers and picked up the shaving cream, expelling some into her palm, Declan's eyes never leaving her face. Because of his ability to read her, he was able to see that doing this, him actually allowing her to shave the beard off was a much bigger deal to her than he'd initially realized. He'd at first just assumed she disliked the beard and rather he be clean shaven, but the depth of the emotion upon her face and in her movements told him this shaving was much more symbolic to her, just as it was to him. Call his reasons trivial, but he hadn't been clean shaven since he left Charleigh so many years ago. For him, each day he looked in the mirror and saw himself looking back so many years ago, clean shaven, he saw the Declan Kopus he was with Charleigh. His beard had become a sort of security blanket, something he'd learned to hide behind. But now? Now he was ready to let it go.

With trembling hands, Charleigh gently applied the shaving cream to his face. At one point, the tension was broken as they both laughed when she'd accidentally gotten some in his nose, to which he'd dabbed his finger in the mound on her hand, smearing it down the side of her face.

"I almost feel as if you're preparing me for my funeral, baby," Declan finally spoke, gripping her thigh gently and shaking her. "Ha ha, funny one you are," she smiled as she picked up the razor. "Not only am I afraid of cutting you, this is kind of big to me, Dec."

"Hey," he told her, tipping her chin up on one of his knuckles. "You won't cut me, now come on."

Charleigh took in a deep breath and brought the razor to his face and had just begun to glide it down his jaw when suddenly Declan shouted, startling her. When the wide grin and laughter erupted from him as he began to apologize profusely, Charleigh glared and smacked his arm. "Not funny, jackass!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he smiled, still giggling, and rubbed his palms over the tops of her thighs. "I'm done, baby, promise. Just couldn't resist."

"Do you always have to be such a shit?" She laughed, focusing once again on the razor in her hand and not cutting him.

As the smooth, bare skin of his face was slowly revealed, Charleigh made note of the little things which made Declan uniquely himself such as the dark mole at the outer crease of his nostril, or the scar on the left side of his face in the hollow of his jaw, or the various freckles—or beauty marks, as she'd always called them—that were scattered randomly upon his face, like the three at the outside corner of his left eye. And the deep groove between his nose and upper lip which led to his full lips—lips she'd loved and missed. It wasn't until she'd finished and his hand came to tenderly hold the side of her face that she realized she'd started to cry, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. He'd aged handsomely, and while he'd gained a few laugh lines, her Declan stared back at her and she'd become overwhelmed.

"Shhh, no reason for tears, sweetheart," he murmured softly as she finally smiled and grabbed his wrist, bringing it away from her face and placing a kiss against his palm.

"Hi," she whispered to him adorably as he grinned.

"Hi, baby," he answered back, kissing her tenderly, and pulling back slowly. "You have no idea how foreign the air feels on my face. This is so bizarre."

"I just, wow," Charleigh exclaimed, a few chuckles bubbling up, "I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you like this again, but you...God, this takes me back and you haven't changed at all, Dec."

"I didn't shave for pretty much that reason exactly, Char. I couldn't bear to look at myself in the mirror. Each time I did, all I saw was the insurmountable hurt I'd inflicted upon the person I loved most in this world. I grew out the beard for change. Just know, you were the reason for it and are the only reason I'm able to let go of it."

"Beard or no beard, you'll always be sexy as hell," she muttered dryly, "but it's the man inside that I fell in love with," she whispered softly.

Declan then grabbed the towel she'd had in her lap and began to wipe the shaving cream he'd smeared on her face, his eyes focused intently on hers, never moving. Slowly, his hand slid back to his lap, releasing the towel as the other reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.

"You're so goddamned beautiful," he whispered throatily. Charleigh gazed back at him, catching her bottom lip with her teeth as he slowly moved in closer, their lips a mere hair's breadth apart. "I love you, Char, so much," he spoke under his breath before closing the gap and encasing her lips between his own, the chilled temperature of his skin sending a thrill through her as she blindly picked up the bowl and set it on the bedside table, struggling and spilling half the water in the process. Before she even had time to think for herself—not that she could have with the tantalizing sensations of his tongue twisting against her own—Declan took hold of her behind and forcefully pulled her by the hips until his length pressed stiffly between her legs, her heat radiating through the fabric of her boy shorts as she pressed herself down upon him. With a loud groan which vibrated deep within his throat, he took firm hold of her at the waist, forcing her harder upon him as he gradually worked them into a galvanizing, rhythmic grinding. Charleigh's legs locked at the ankles around his back, as she momentarily broke their kiss and made quick work of removing her tank top. Declan's hazel eyes darkened intensely and zoned in on hers, his tongue snaking out to lick his lips lustfully. Her hands slowly extended past his broad, muscled shoulders and pulled the hair tie from the still damp bun at the back of his head as the corners of her mouth turned upward into a wide smile, one which confirmed for him she was genuinely happy. Declan returned her smile, amazed himself at just how naturally they fell into the motions. It was almost as if no time had passed between them, but at the same time, years. He wrapped his large, strong arms around her back, pulling her chest against him as she slung her arms tightly around his neck and up into his hair, hungrily devouring him, her hips gyrating wantonly upon his hardness which strained painfully against the fabric of his sweat pants.

"Off. Take 'em off," Declan demanded breathlessly as they came up for air, hooking his thumb in the waist band of her lacy boy shorts, his mouth attaching to the underside of her jaw, as he simultaneously thrust his hips up and into her roughly.

Charleigh moaned loudly, her nails digging into the meat of his shoulders. "Please tell me this is really happening and you're not just teasing me," she cried out as he thrust once more, his eyes lifting to hers intensely and in one swift move, flipped their positions, pinning her beneath him and fixing her with a fiery stare.

"Oh, this is real, baby, and I'm not teasing," he growled, tugging roughly and ripping the lacy garment from her hips. Charleigh's eyes widened as she gripped his shoulders in shock.

"Did you just...?"

"I'll buy you a new pair," Declan smirked as he then began to slowly make his way down her body, stopping to lavish her full breasts with attention, kissing and suckling her perfect, pink nipples—which pebbled at the contact, the flick of his tongue jarring her nerve endings and causing her back to arch off the mattress in pleasure. As he continued his ministrations, he let his hand glide down her abdomen and to her sex where he proceeded to rub her much like he had in the tub and slid two fingers deliciously into her scorching, wet heat. Charleigh mewled blissfully, calling out his name as her fingers found purchase in the thick mane of his hair, her hips steadily thrusting and riding his hand, his thick and long fingers hooking upward inside of her, hitting a spot only he had ever known about. She desperately needed to feel his lips on hers, yearned for him to be seated deep within, but rather than moving back up her body, Declan continued his journey downward, down until she could feel the sensation of his hot breath against her folds. Teasingly and yet gloriously, he lightly flicked his tongue against her clit and blew against her, nearly sending her careening over the edge before turning his attention to the inner most part of her thighs, lavishing them in open mouthed kisses and sucking roughly, inevitably marking her. Just as his eyes shifted up her body to lock on her face, his tongue slipped out to make a solid pass through her drenched heat, the taste of her going straight to his cock as her back once again came up off of the bed.

"Ugh! Declan!" She cried out gloriously, her body shuddering around the amazing feelings he was evoking within her.

Charleigh writhed, fisting the sheets in her hands as he continued his unrelenting assault on her, licking, sucking, kissing, and delving his tongue in and out of her, feasting on her in the way only he had ever done. Her hands moved deep into his hair, she held him in place against her mound as her hips bucked upward into his face with wild abandon. Spreading her legs even further apart, he nipped gently at her clit, watching as her body came off of the mattress franticly. His arm which he'd laid across her hips pressed down firmer as he lapped at her sex, savoring her essence before taking her clit between his lips and sucking roughly. Charleigh screamed out, her body jerking as her climax shattered around them and she came apart, drowning in sheer euphoria. Her body continued to twitch, as his mouth slid down to drink from her until he could stave off his craving any longer. Declan crawled up her body, positioning his hips right where he yearned to be. Charleigh desperately raked her nails down the long and wide expanse of his back down to the deep curve of his spine in the small of his back. She hooked her thumbs into the waistband of his sweat pants, pushing them over his narrow hips and grabbing two handfuls of his perfectly round ass, digging her nails in. Declan hissed, his glutes flexing under her hands and smirked knowingly.

"Always had a thing for my ass, haven't you, sweetheart?"

"Hmmm, whatever gave you that idea?" She teased, her voice rough with desire as she tightened her hold and urged him to push against her once again. Declan obliged, this time though, he held his position tortuously and rolled his hips deliciously slow, rocking himself into her, coating his length in her juices as he sinfully slid back and forth, up and down snuggly between her folds. Charleigh's jaw hung slack as she gasped, narrowing her eyes at the sheer feelings he was awaking in her, at the way in which he was shocking parts of her back to life which had lay dormant for far too long.

Not sure how long they'd stayed that way, Declan's movements stilled. He leant down, kissing her long and slow before drawing back to gaze at her, his eyes heavy-lidded but filled with love.

"I'm ready to come home, Char," he choked out hoarsely, the emotion in his voice thick as Charleigh's eyes teared up almost instantly, understanding the double entendre behind his words. Her hands raised, one scraping nails softly against his jaw and the other wrapped around him, coaxing him down to her.

"I'm here and waiting, baby," she shook, her chin quivering as his hips drew back and lined up with her, his thick and swollen tip positioned just right. Declan felt a smile come to his face before he brought his lips down on hers amorously, sharing breaths while at the same time slowly driving himself into her, filling and stretching her completely in one long, fluid movement. He gave them time to adjust before moving again. However, she seemed to be ready from the get go, bringing her legs up to encircle the small of his back, and kissing him deeper, stopping only to beg him not to stop and almost immediately crying out.

"Declan, please...feels so good," she whimpered, pleading and scratching at his back with one hand and skimming the other down his chest and abdomen to twist upward and wrap around his back.

Declan closed his eyes, moving against her with slow and long, languorous strokes, taking his time to absorb the all-consuming feeling of being with her like this once again. The emotions coursing through his body were more than he was prepared for and he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to accurately describe what is was like for him. He'd known it back then, and there was no denying it now—this beautiful, amazing woman God had one again blessed him with was made for him, in every way that mattered. Her body hugged him just right, fitting him like a glove. Her touch alone had been enough to bring him to the edge several times and the raw passion they shared he was sure couldn't be matched.

Throwing his head back in ecstasy, Declan moved one of his arms back, his hand trailing up her thigh and grasped her flesh, plunging deeper—if that was even possible—grinding his hips into her mercilessly. Charleigh moaned loudly, bringing her hands up to hold his face, focusing in on the fire she saw in his eyes, the unadulterated love and passion entrancing her deliriously. Seeing Charleigh on the verge of breaking down merely from feelings their lovemaking incited in her—what their bond had always done—he ardently smiled and lowered his head down, sliding his tongue between her lips and fervidly kissing her. Sweat began to glisten against their skin showing how raw their lovemaking quickly became. Declan—having moved from her lips to her neck, pulled his mouth from where he'd ferally left several love bites, and stopped completely for just a moment, his arm hooking under the bend of her knee, unlocking her legs from around his waist and moving it to rest over the crook of his arm. He repeated the process with the other leg, then deliciously ground his hips against her, lowering his mouth to her ear.

"You're going to want to hold on to something," he warned, his voice dripping with desire as his attention moved down to suckle teasingly on her ear lobe then blazed a fiery trail of kisses down her neck and up again before he descended upon her for a bruising kiss, slowly withdrawing from her sex almost completely and violently spearing back in, drawing a wanton cry from Charleigh. One so loud, Declan covered her mouth once again with his own just to swallow the sound and prevent it from carrying through the house.

Her arms once again looped under his and sunk into the top of his broad, muscled shoulders as she clung to him desperately, his hips pounding into her with incredible, delectable ferocity—an almost animalistic hunger-each thrust bringing a growl from deep within Declan's chest and euphoric cries from Charleigh which continued to be muffled by their kissing. Her body writhed beneath him, her body coming up off of the bed and holding herself to him as though he were the last drink of water in a barren desert and she'd been starved for weeks. How she'd ever lived without his touch, his kiss, _this_ —she'd never understand but being with him now, feeling him touch and reach parts of her that hadn't been alive for years and discovering spots she never even knew existed...Declan was completely waking her body from a decade long sleep, he was breathing life into her heart and at times, like now, she felt she'd explode from the sheer intensity of the moment. He was everywhere all at once, yet not close enough. The euphoric state in which he'd rendered her body as her coil shattered around him as he climaxed, filling her with his seed, was one she was sure not to recover from for days. His pace slowed to lengthy, deep strokes as she cupped her hand around the back of his neck, their eyes locked intensely, shining with the love they held for each other. As their lips met, he moved tortuously slow in and out of her, spurring on yet another orgasm for her. Her hands delved deep into his hair and fisted it tightly at the sides of his head, whimpering into his kiss as he thrust one last time before completely stilling and collapsing to lay against her, both breathing heavily as he peppered her collar bone with lazy kisses. Charleigh hadn't been made love to in such a way in far too long and she just knew the aches she'd feel in the morning would be their own kind of hell, one she'd relish in. A hell similar to the one she'd woken to the night they'd drunkenly slept together in the barn. Her aches—until the video surfaced—had served as the only remnants of that night...something she'd never told him.

A while later, Declan rested against her, his head beside hers on the pillow and his softened and completely sated length still buried inside of her. They'd lay for however long, just gazing lovingly at one another, sharing soft, succulent kisses here and there.

"I swear I could sleep, just like this," she murmured, running a hand through his damp hair, now also coated in sweat.

"I'm good with that," he answered, gently turning onto his side and bringing her with him, grasping her thigh to hold over his hip, keeping him in place.

"I think I just might take tomorrow off," Charleigh laughed, lightly brushing her nose against his. She giggled as Declan mockingly gasped.

"That good, huh?" He boasted, as she nearly lost herself in his smoldering gaze.

"Always," she whispered, pecking his lips. "And besides," she started, playing with the ends of his hair, "if our last escapade is anything to go by, I'm really going to be feeling it in the morning."

Declan's brow furrowed in confusion, Charleigh noticing the precise moment what she'd meant dawned on him as he suddenly grew serious.

"You never told me. So that whole time I was pressuring you to talk, you were dealing with knowing, feeling...Christ, I wish you'd have told me and then maybe I'd have felt comfortable in telling you part of the reason I'd gotten so worked up and emotional was because I woke up with the taste of you on my lips," he whispered as she shook her head sadly.

"How can we know each other inside and out, tell each other everything but then get uncomfortable in talking about the things that truly matter? I'm just as guilty of it as you are, but...Dec, we can't live our lives like that anymore. I'm yours and you're mine, nothing can get in the way of that this time, promise me."

His hand came to smooth over her hair, eventually resting against her cheek, "I promise you, baby. Things sure as hell would've moved a hell of a lot smoother had we just been honest with each other, huh?"

"Well, I don't know about that, Dec. I struggled, I mean _really_ struggled with it and honestly, I think if I'd learned about what you'd gone through, I may have kept an even further distance. You know how I warred with myself about feeling guilty—I still do to an extent—but I'm good now," she reassured him, as self-doubt started to shine in his eyes, "There isn't a force strong enough in this world that could ever make me regret what transpired in the loft that night, Declan, drunk or not. Had that night never have happened, I'm not sure we'd ever have found our way back to each other."

"Maybe not right away, but I fully believe we'd have eventually found ourselves where we are now. We're too right for each other for us not to, Char," he answered, kissing her softly. Charleigh burrowed deep against his chest and pressed a kiss against his heart. She took in a deep breath, his naturally woodsy scent flooding her senses before turning her head, the steady, strong rhythm of his heart slowly but surely lulling her into a deep, peaceful sleep.

The next morning, the muted light of the early dawn filtered through the windows. Charleigh woke to find herself in the same position she'd fallen asleep in, completely enveloped within Declan's strong embrace, his soft breaths brushing across the top of her head. She stretched her arm behind her to illuminate the screen of her phone, and as she did so, her nerve endings and her core were shocked back to life by the realization he was still held snug within her. She'd forgotten about that one important fact and seeing as how it was only five in the morning, Charleigh had more than enough time to wake him up in a way he'd not soon forget. She tested the waters first, gently rolling her hips against him, watching his face carefully for any signs of him waking—none were to be seen. However, the wonderful aches she'd spoken of the night before made themselves known as, while the feeling of him inside of her made her wince with soreness yet at the same time relish in just how amazing it made her feel to be his once again. Charleigh closed her eyes and began to move, ever so carefully grinding, just long enough until she felt him begin to stiffen. She brought her fist to her mouth and bared down with her teeth to try and keep herself from screaming. She couldn't stop the movement of her hips gyrating upon his as they moved on their own, and the harder he became, the further he stretched her, and more certain spots were hit. It was in the middle of a rather sizeable surge of feeling that she very nearly pissed herself because Declan rolled over onto his back, taking her with him and loudly groaned. Charleigh stilled, watching him carefully as she was sure he'd just woken up, but to her amazement, he remained asleep, his chest rising a falling with even, steady breaths, his thick and long lashes laying unmoving against his cheeks. She was sure she'd never seen a more beautiful sight than Declan Kopus, whether he be asleep or awake...and she'd challenge anyone to prove otherwise. With her sex aching and throbbing for more, she began to rise, lifting to effectively straddle him, his girth and length completely filling her. Charleigh began to shamelessly ride him, slow at first and gradually building to a rhythm and pace that very nearly put her to tears. Completely overcome with her building release, Charleigh's spine arched as she threw her head back, once again baring down on the flesh of her fist, her other hand sliding up her body to roll her nipple between her fingers, her hips now fucking him at a furious, grinding pace.

Declan's eyes opened with confusion as simultaneously the coil in his groin screamed at him. He felt as though he were being shaken. In the same breath, he focused in on Charleigh, bouncing upon him. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. The woman was a breath taking sight to behold, and she was all his. He didn't know what time of the morning it was, what day it was, hell, he'd have been lucky to remember what his damn name was after this. Declan could honestly say he'd never been fucked...until now. He was being utterly and gloriously fucked and he could say that this time, he had nothing to do with it. He wasn't sure how long he sat watching her pleasure herself with his cock, but she was effectively using him and fucking herself into a release.

Or at least she had been.

Without warning, he shot up off of the mattress, grabbing her by the waist and bringing her flush against his chest. He gave her a moment to get over the initial shock before locking eyes with her and watching the myriad of emotions, sensations and reactions flash across her flushed face.

"How long have you been awake?" She breathed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Long enough," he gruffly replied, amusement thick in his voice. "Having fun there, baby?"

"Mmmm, you know it," she whispered, continuing to move over him. "Glad you could join me."

"Seems to me you're doing a mighty fine job all on your own; don't let me stop you," he replied, smiling sexily and biting at his lip as Charleigh surged forward for a kiss, but to tease her, he dodged the advance. She tried several times after, and he always moved, until she broke down and took his face firmly in her hands and kissed him. Declan groaned hungrily as he deepened it and took a bruising hold of her hips, his fingertips digging in to a point it became almost painful.

"Hold on to me, baby," he ordered before lifting her then savagely impaling her down on him, and this time—unlike last night—he wasn't able to muffle the loud cry that erupted from her chest.

Over and over again, he raised her and slammed into her at the same time he'd bring her down upon him. It was rough, untamed, and exactly what she'd needed. Her climax crashed around the both of them within minutes and left them both completely breathless.

"Good morning, handsome," she panted softly, curling a hand in his hair behind his ear.

"Mmm, good morning to you too, beautiful. Whatever possessed you to..."

"You complaining?" She interrupted, arching a high brow.

"Fuck no," Declan deadpanned. "And as much as I enjoy this position, nature calls, baby," he told her, kissing her cheek chastely as he gently lifted her from his lap, not missing the grimace of pain that flashed across her face as he finally slipped out of her for the first time since last night.

He set her back down easily atop his thighs and squeezed her thigh softly. "Hey, what was that all about?"

"It's nothing, honey, I'm just sore. Like really sore. I may have over done it this morning," Charleigh answered, letting her head fall to the side against his shoulder.

"Dammit, had I known I wouldn't have been..."

"Shhh," she silenced him, placing a finger against his lips before pecking them and slowly climbing off of his lap. "Regret nothing," she whispered and winked before giving him a nudge and telling him to go.

 ***~STA~***

A couple of hours later, Declan was on his way to drop the kids off to school, laughing animatedly at Noah and Riley as they argued back and forth about things they'd been doing around the ranch to help out, and how they—Noah mainly—wanted an allowance. According to him, he didn't work for free. Declan could hardly wait to get home and relay the conversation to Charleigh. She'd stayed behind after they'd showered and had breakfast, as Declan had handed her some Advil with a kiss to the forehead and told her to take it easy, he had the kids taken care of.

That was until Riley suddenly started complaining about her stomach hurting and not even five minutes later literally projectile vomited across the backseat.

Willing himself not to panic, Declan hurriedly pulled over onto the shoulder of the road and turned on his hazards as he glanced behind him at Riley, who now was a ghostly pale and looked absolutely pitiful.

"It's okay, Sweetheart," Declan cooed as he stepped out and, having no other options laying around, he pulled the shirt from his back and used it to try and clean as much as he could from the seats—the leather fabric making for a much easier cleanup. His phone began incessantly ringing, as he went around the truck and opened up Riley's door, gently pulling her against him to gently run a hand over her head comfortingly and ripping the phone from his pocket.

"Yeah?"

"Hey man," Clayton answered cheerfully, "just letting you know that Rae, the kids, and I are leaving at noon today for a few weeks. It was high time we took vacation so if you guys want to take off as well, it would be a great time to do so."

"Clay, man, we would but Riley's come down with a stomach bug or something, so if we do leave, it'll have to be sometime next week most likely. Did you go ahead and get someone to take care of stuff on the ranch? Noah can't take care of all that on his own, Charleigh's taking a few days off …"

"Shit, D, sorry to hear that. I haven't gotten anyone as of yet because I wasn't sure if you guys were heading out or not. I can make a," he started but was cut short by Declan.

"Don't worry about it, I'll get it done. Look, I gotta get Noah off to school and Riley home. I'll give you a call when I make it back."

Without even waiting for a response, Declan hung the phone up and lifted his head to meet Noah's eyes, which looked back in concern.

"Is she okay?"

"She will be, Bud. Come on, let's get you off to school so I can get her home."

Noah started to mock cough, "You know I've been sitting in here, exposed to whatever that is she has. I'd be endangering the rest of the student body."

Declan fixed him with a disbelieving stare, cocking a brow as he climbed back into the passenger seat. "You're going to have to try harder than that, kid. You're going to school."

"But I've been around her all morning and those viruses are contagious! I'd be spreading it around school!" He protested.

"Put it this way, Noah," Declan said laughing, "You start throwing up at school, I'll come and get you. Until then, zip it," he told him, leaving no room for argument.

"Did she get it from Momma? Is that why she stayed home in bed?"

"No, your momma's not sick, she's just resting."

"I don't feel good, Declan," Riley began to cry out from the back.

"I know, sweetheart, and I'm sorry. I'm getting you home as fast as I can, okay?" He answered back, glancing at her in the rearview mirror, just as he pulled up in the car loop of their school.

Noah, this time, hugged Declan before jumping out, surprising him as usually he just shook his hand or told him bye. Once out of the car, Noah turned back and told him, "You touched _that,_ " he said, pointing at Riley, "You've got germs all over you so with any luck, you just passed them to me. See you later."

"Go to school, you little shit," Declan laughed raucously as he roughly rubbed his palm over his face, then glanced in the back. "Ry, sweetheart, you wanna come up here and lay down? I can put the seat back," he offered as she nodded.

He then hurried to get her moved as easily as he could, waving an apology to the car behind him and went on his way, picking up his phone and dialing.

"Miss me already?"

"Always," he answered with a smile, "Listen, baby, I know I told you to rest, but a bit of a situation arose on the way to school and I need you to run a bath for Ry. She puked everywhere and she's not looking too hot. Her head's warm with fever too."

"Oh no, poor baby, I'll start her a bath. I think I'm out of Motrin and we're going to need some gatorade, honey. Any chance you can stop at Ard's on the way?"

"Sure thing. Ry likes the lemon-lime one, right?"

"How you remember that amazes me, but yes."

"Okay, baby, I'll be there in a minute. Love you," he replied.

"Love you too, D," she answered sweetly before he hung up and turned his attention to Riley, putting his palm against his forehead and noting her temperature was pretty warm.

"Anything else you want me to get you to drink besides gatorade, sweet pea?"

"Ginger ale," she meekly mumbled.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Declan was gently scooping Riley out of the passenger seat when Charleigh came bounding out of the house to help him, eyes widened as she approached, her hand against the bare skin of his back, and her other running through Riley's hair.

"Oh baby, you okay?" She cooed to her daughter who began to cry and shook her head.

"My stomach hurts."

"Well we'll get you all fixed up and in bed before you know it, okay?" Charleigh told her, lightly rubbing her back and then attempted to try and take her from Declan, but he resisted and remained firm, as did Riley, to her surprise.

"I've got her, baby, just grab the drinks and stuff."

"But Declan, your knee..."

"I'm good, promise," he winked at her before heading inside, taking her straight to the bathroom.

"Question, when you left here, you were wearing a shirt. Where's the shirt?"

"In the backseat, waiting to be torched. There was nothing in there to clean up so my shirt sufficed and is soaked in it."

Charleigh's face twisted comically in disgust. "Right, okay. Well, thank you for making the stop for drinks, honey," she told him as she pecked his lips before walking into the bathroom and beginning to undress Riley. Reflecting on what was right and what any gentleman should do, he turned his back as Charleigh did so.

"And you? Did the Advil help?"

"Not really, but between me and you? I kind of don't want it to," she quipped, just as he heard Riley step into the bath tub. "Jesus, Dec, she's burning up. Will you get the Motrin ready?

"Sure. Want me to bring the Motrin or are you giving it to her when she gets out?"

"No, go ahead and bring it to me."

Declan then headed to the kitchen to get the Motrin ready. While at it, he fixed up a gatorade and ice in a squirt bottle, grabbed one of what he knew were her favorite movies, and an empty trash can. Hands full, he made his way back, handing off the Motrin to Charleigh before going into Riley's room. He set the trash can beside her bed along with the gatorade on her bedside table, put the movie on in her dvd player, and then, realizing she didn't have any pajamas to change into in the bathroom, he grabbed a pair out of her dresser and went back to the bathroom.

"Here, baby," he softly said to Charleigh, turning his back again.

"Declan, honey, you don't have to turn your back every time you walk in here. Thank you for being so thoughtful,"

"No problem, I'll be in the bedroom if you need me," he answered but then stopped, "and get your mind out of the gutter, woman. I didn't mean it that way."

"The only one of us with their head in the gutter is you, handsome," Charleigh called after him with a chuckle then turned her attention to her daughter. She gently ran cups of warm water of her head, saturating her dark curls.

"Momma, I think I'm going to throw up again," Riley rushed out punily as Charleigh rushed to grab the bathroom trash can, just as the vile substance lurched from her throat.

She soothing rubbing her hand over her back as the child hovered over the trash a few minutes longer.

Once she sat back up, Charleigh rushed through bathing her as fast as she could, calling out for Declan, who almost seemed like he'd been standing at the door, waiting to be beckoned.

"Yeah, baby?"

"She won't be able to hold down the Motrin right now. Will you please pour it back in the bottle? I'm just going to go old school and use a cold rag against her forehead," she asked, eventually glancing over her shoulder to see he'd put on one of his old henley shirts, one she'd seen him wear many times, and one that looked absolutely amazing on him. The white material of the shirt clung just right to every muscle, his arms very nearly looking as though they might bust through and his huge pectorals perfectly outlined. The man was pure perfection in every sense of the word, and he was all hers.

All six foot five inches and two hundred twenty-five pounds of him.

"Sure thing," he winked.

"Nooo, I don't want him to go," Riley began to whimper sadly.

"Who, baby? Declan? He's not leaving. He just went to put the medicine back up, that's all," Charleigh told her softly, confused by her outburst.

"I want Declan, momma," she whined.

"Okay, Ry. Let's get you out of the tub and dressed first, then I'll get him for you, okay?"

Her daughter nodded and weakly stood as Charleigh pulled the plug to the tub and grabbed a towel, outstretching it to wrap around her small, frail body.

Once Charleigh had Riley dressed, she called for Declan, who once again almost immediately appeared in the doorway, gorgeous as ever. Seeing him once again shaven and without the beard he'd worn for years was going to take some getting used to.

"She's been asking for you, honey," Charleigh told him softly as Riley stood before him and reached for him. Declan, without a moment's hesitation picked her up and cradled her in his arms against his chest.

"What's wrong, Sweet Pea?"

"Will you come in my room until I fall asleep?"

"Of course I will. If you want, we can watch Moana?"

"Really?" She asked, seeming to perk up just a little. Charleigh's heart warmed as she watched them interact. They truly came across as father and daughter, the bond between them was just that close, and the same with Noah.

"I'll go get it from the living room, just take..."

Declan caught her arm as she began to walk away, "No need. I already got it and it's in her dvd player."

"Course you have," Charleigh answered, completely taken back by his attention to detail, but then again, it really shouldn't have surprised her because she knew personally what it was like to be taken care of by Declan when sick. His bedside manner was stellar. "You're just that good."

"Well," he started, slowly moving towards Riley's room and gently laying her down on the bed. He then turned back, and with a wink said, "I try."

"Oh believe me, I know," Charleigh teased as Declan shook his head with a laugh.

"Go lay down, woman," he ordered.

"Do you need anything before I do?"

"My phone and a bottle of water would be good, baby. Thanks," he answered as he sidled up alongside Riley on the bed, her little body snuggling deep into his side. Charleigh smiled as she watched her daughter and Declan moving around to accommodate her until she was comfortable. She then turned away to gather what he'd asked for, sure for the first time in a long, long time that she'd made the right decision and her and her children's happiness and quality of life had nowhere to go but up from there.


End file.
